Hidden People

a hapax theatre production

When a government agent threatens to build a highway through their traditional Icelandic farm and dynamite the elf church that has stood there for generations, farmers Högni and Magnea need to levy forces both natural and supernatural to protect their home.

Starring ira cooper, Elizabeth Blanco, and SJ Valiquette, directed by Ricki Healey.

Artwork by Julie McLaughlin

Presented with the support of the CRD Arts & Culture Support Service

The Story of the Play:  (From Nicholas Guerreiro)

I first heard the story of an Icelandic road diverted to avoid an elf-rock on a podcast in 2014. The more I looked into it, the more it seemed like a magical mirror on some of the major questions facing us on our island. I wrote the first draft ten years ago, staged it with the Student Alternative Theatre Company while at UVic, and then moved on to other projects. Much later, I decided to audition for a Hapax Fringe show. The audition went terribly, the worst in my career, but while chatting with Heather and Chad, I learned that they shared my fascination with Iceland. I dug out my old script and sent it their way, and Hapax very graciously supported me as I revised it. Revisiting this play was like collaborating with a younger, less experienced version of myself. Together, I think the two of us (two of me?) finally captured the elements that hooked me on this story so long ago.

In rural Iceland, farmers Högni and Magnea are visited by a government assessor from the city, bringing an offer that would utterly change their lives. But the opportunity they’re afforded raises a deeper question: how can you approach change when it is your life’s work to remain constant? And just as importantly, what do the elves think about it? Hidden People explores how to carry the past with you while choosing what you leave behind to step into the future.