«GUST-LIFE» invites to taste «MacRell»
16. June 2012 at the small stage of the Murmansk Regional Drama theatre the modern dance group «Gust-Life» offered the Murmansk audience to judge upon their unusual reading of the Norwegian musical project «Mission MacRell»
Initiated in Norway by Harald Sætervoll as a social musical with the support from the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Mission Mackerel project has already united children from Arkangelsk, Izevsk, Kotlas, Petrozavodsk, Zapolyarny and others.
The project designed as a funny musical for children raises very important theme – problems which handicapped people face in a contemporary world today. The main idea meant to be heard by a maximum number of people is formulated as adoption of environment to the needs of people but not vice versa, so that everyone could feel comfortable in such space. Besides theatrical performance the project contains of an investigation where both youth and children take part looking at the city environment from the point of view of the handicapped: Are the elevators, doors everywhere in the city comfortable for them to be used? The report is delivered to the city authorities.
“MacRell” version made by “Gust-Life” band became their unique artistic product. After thorough scenario remake they transferred a funny childlike story into a serious performance accumulating various genres: theatre, contemporary dance plastics, poetics and music. Moreover, the stage performance was enriched by participation of professional theatre actors and jazz players from Murmansk.
After a successful first night “Gust-Life” plan to start a long chain of performances and join more audience. Besides, the author and “mastermind” of the project, Harald Sætervoll, who was present at the premier, proposed some performances in Norway: “I’m absolutely inspired by the performance! It’s very good that guys made their own presentation based on our idea. It means development of the “Mission MacRell” project. Though I didn’t get any word from the performance, I felt the ideas passed through dance, music and plastics. It turned to be an international staging and I dream about showing it in Norway”,- he said.