A Thousand Tongues began as a concert, eruption of visual born from sound, and a tapestry of traditional music from all over the world, performed by Nini Julia Bang as a solo performance, directed by Samantha Shay. In ten different languages, Bang traverses music that spans her several year travels from Iran, Norway, Spain, Greece, Malaysia, Mongolia, Bulgaria, and Georgia. Both a celebration of cross cultural expression, spanning from Icelandic lullabies to the Quran, and a deeply personal interrogation of Bang’s own life experiences, A Thousand Tongues is a visual and sonic resonating chamber, exploring isolation, the unknown, vulnerability, and the veil between this world and the other.
A Thousand Tongues premiered as part of the Theatre Olympics and European Capital of Culture 2016 Wroclaw, in a co-production between Source Material and the Grotowski Institute. Since the premier, the piece has toured to Sweden and Iceland, and was nominated for two Icelandic Theatre Awards (GRIMAN) for Best Lighting Design (Nicole Pearce), and Most Innovative Performance.
Performer/Artistic leader: Nini Julia Bang // Director: Samantha Shay // Dramaturg: Jaroslaw Fret // Lighting Design: Nicole Pearce // Sound Engineer: Paul Evans and Aslaug Magnusdottir // Technical Director: Maciek Madry
Selected press for A Thousand Tongues (all images link to the article):