It’s 1868. Morten is a discharged soldier scraping a living on his croft on the edge of Sweden’s ancient forests. His life is blighted by insomnia and filled with troubles made up largely in his own head.
Suddenly he begins to suffer nightmares. A friend tells him he’s plagued by a Mara – a possessed person who visits another in spirit form as they sleep. To free himself from a Mara, he must discover their identity. But who is it?
Funny, unsettling and moving, this solo storytelling performance is a whodunnit, a deep dive into the dreamscape of Swedish folklore, a delve into our oldest forests, a journey through our tortuous relationship with sleep and an exploration of what it might mean to be really awake.
You’ll be transported, entertained, immersed… and a walk in the woods might never feel the same again.
Reviews of storyteller Dominic Kelly’s previous work:
“What a treat” – The Times
“Storyteller Dominic Kelly catches the mood with unerring skill as he builds an atmosphere of excitement…” – Dorset Echo
“It shouldn’t be possible to conjure up such a rich, colourful and vibrant world in a plain, darkened room but he succeeded spectacularly.” – Litfest
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Storyteller Dominic Kelly’s warm, witty and powerful storytelling style has captivated audiences around the world. In the UK he has performed at venues including the Barbican, National Theatre, British Museum, and The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival; and in theatres, festivals and schools in countries from India to the Arctic Circle.
He lives in the Lake District where he grew up and, when not storytelling, still thinks sitting in a tiny tent on a mountain in terrible weather counts as fun. But he’s married into a Swedish family, lived in Sweden for years, and he knows intimately the landscape, nature, culture and folklore of the country’s ‘Norrland’; in MARA, he takes you on an immersive, unforgettable journey into this place, though experiences we can all relate to.
His acclaimed performance Trickster was described as “compelling, funny and heartbreaking” by The Times, his show The Hero Light, as “gripping and satisfying… a rare event” and his most recent, The Big Blind, as, “a mesmerising performance”.