Útkall - Leiksýn­ing: Flugslysið á Sri Lanka

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

One of the darkest chapters in Icelandic aviation history.

On November 15, 1978, a Flugleiðir aircraft, Leifur Eiríksson, crash-landed near the 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 Icelanders.

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 airport 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.

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 was created by Fjölnir Gíslason, actor, and Magnús Thorlacius, director. 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 in the theatre industry in recent years and is completing his master’s degree in directing at LAMDA in London this autumn. He received considerable attention for the production Skeljar, which was staged in Ásmundarsalur last winter, 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, Fjölnir Gíslason, Kristín Eiríksdóttir og Ellen Margrét Bæhrenz
Lighting design: Fjölnir Gíslason og Magnús Thorlacius
Production: SPOTLIGHT

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SPOTLIGHT