Burn/Unga Klara
Agni and Evvi, played by 13 people live in a treatment center. They are two young, searching people who together feel bigger than the world. Brinn revolves around youthful confusion and the inability of the adult world to deal with it. Directed by Farnaz Arbabi, the portrayal of sisterhood and revolt is a seamless meeting of realism and fantasy. In the bare stage space, with a focus on elaborate costumes and challenging lighting design, the explosive power of the outgoing girls is heartbreaking and impossible to resist.
— Motivation of the selection jury
This is a story of when a single event changes life forever. It’s a story of friendship so strong that it blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. A story of two teenagers that are locked up and isolated – and about fire, as an untamed force inside, and outside, of oneself.
Agni and Evvi do everything together. They are so close that they’re almost inseparable. They’re cosmic twins. They live in a home for teenage girls, and together they create a fantasy world with rules that go against societies. One day, they take things way too far, and life will never be the same again.
BRINN is a story about girls who are bigger than the world. About the necessary revolt, and about when everything goes wrong. An explosive and sad performance that oscillates between humor and blackness.
Thirteen actors stand on stage, taking turns playing the lead roles of Agni and Evvi. We also meet teenagers Lucinda, Steff, and Laura who all live in the home, as well as the caregivers Anette, Sami, and Pablo who work there. Amidst the chaos, investigators Gunnar and Pamela arrive, tasked with the impossible mission of mapping out what actually happened that one day when the fire changed everyone’s lives.
BRINN is partly based on interviews and documentary material, including conversations with youths and caregivers at homes for care or residence.
The performance is a free fantasy partly based on interviews and documentary material with young people and caregivers in SIS and HVB homes, among others. The production was developed in the spring of 2022 as a co-production with the Theater Academy in Malmö. During the fall of 2022, the performance was performed at Unga Klara in its own production.
By Elmira Arikan, Farnaz Arbabi
Direction Farnaz Arbabi
Set design Jenny Kronberg
Costume Matilda Hyttsten
Light Johan Sundén
Music & sound Foad Arbabi
Mask Alexander Wernersson, Klara Jorméus
Dramaturgy Erik Uddenberg
Graphic design Studio Parasto Backman
Performance photo Jenny Baumgartner
Participants Simon Carlsson, Ester Claesson, Egon Ebbersten, Isak Elwin, Klas Lagerlund, Karolina Mindell Kidanu, Rasmus Savic, Shada Sulhav, Sandra Medina, Nancy Ofori.
Participants (voice) Agni’s answering machine, Noor Arbabi Ohlin, Ray Thalayasingam Säll