Útkall - Leiksýn­ing: Flugslysið á Sri Lanka

One of Iceland’s most popular book series is being adapted into a stage play.

On November 15, 1978, a Flugleiðir aircraft, Leifur Eiríksson, crashed near an airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Of the 262 people on board, only 79 survived, making the crash the fourth-largest air disaster in history at that time. Five of the survivors were Icelandic. This is their story.

The lead-up to the accident, the rescue operations and the aftermath are recounted in Óttar Sveinsson’s book, Útkall Leifur Eiríksson brotlendir. The book is based on interviews with survivors, relatives and other airplane staff who were present when the crash occurred. Now the story will be portrayed on stage with five actors who will take on the roles of the Icelandic survivors and tell their story in an honest, respectful but impactful way.

The air crash in Sri Lanka is one of the darkest chapters in Icelandic aviation history.
If there is one thing disasters like the one on Sri Lanka have shown us, it is that in times of grief Icelanders stand as one. Solidarity increases and strength is reinforced.

The stage adaptation is written by actor Fjölnir Gíslason and director Magnús Thorlacius. Fjölnir has been prominent in the theatre scene in recent years and has performed memorable roles in, among others, Kannibalen, Undir, Carmen and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to name a few. Magnús has also left his mark on the theatre scene in Reykjavík in recent years. He received considerable attention for his play Skeljar, which was staged in Ásmundarsalur last winter, and was nominated at the Icelandic Theatre Awards for Play of the Year, and has now been published as a book.
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Director: Magnús Thorlacius
Stage adaptation: Fjölnir Gíslason og Magnús Thorlacius
Based on a book by: Óttar Sveinsson
Actors: Berglind Halla Elísdóttir, Ellen Margrét Bæhrenz, Fjölnir Gíslason, Kristín Eiríksdóttir and Ýr Aimée Gautadóttir Presburg
Set and lighting design: Fjölnir Gíslason and Magnús Thorlacius

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