A story about a struggle of the mind, madness and redemption
Be a wolf! is a monologue for a large stage which received great attention when it premiered in Iceland in the middle of a pandemic. It received unanimous praise from critics and audiences.
This much praised monologue won seven Griman Awards and ran for 115 performances on the NTI’s Main Stage.
A personal, provocative and deranged show!
Be a wolf! takes us on an insane journey throughdangerous parts of the mind, into a world of anarchy and desperation and back again. We gain insight into thestruggle of a man who manages to break out of a vicious cycle and turn his most horrifying experience into the strength that is needed in order to be able to change the whole system.
Script and promo package
Here you can download an English version of the script
Here you can download a short promo package
The National Theatre of Iceland – information in English:
About the author
The production is based on the book Be a Wolf!, a new autobiographical narritive by Héðinn Unnsteinsson, which has received well-earned attention and was nominated for the Icelandic Literature Awards. The author has been active in issues concerning mental health for over two decades, advocating as an user and ex-user of the service, working for WHO (World Health Organization) as a technical officer and the icelandic ministry of health among others. For the last ten years Héðinn has been a senior policy analyst within the Prime Minister‘s Office.
Comments from the audience
“Tonight, I found out why they built the National Theatre of Iceland back in the day. It was so we could see Be a Wolf! with Björn Thors and everyone on his team, audience members included. The National Theatre split open, broke and blossomed. What we got to see was humanity, the humane and the collective.”
Elísabet Kristín Jökulsdóttir / Writer and recipient of the Icelandic Literary Awards 2021
“Theatre, at last. And such celebration, such generosity. Such acting! There is a great deal of compassion and resort in this play – for all of us!“
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir / Former Mayor of Reykjavík, Foreign Minister and Parliamentarian
