Mio in the Land of Faraway

Stageplay version of Astrid Lindgren's timeless classic MIO, MIN MIO, adapted for stage and directed by Hilde Brinchmann, with actors Iver Innset, Amalie Sofie Ibsen Jensen, Dagfinn Tutturen and Rune Storsæter Løding. A co-production between Teatret Vårt and Nordland Teater, MIO, MIN MIO was an instant classic with the critics as well as the audience, winning the prestigious Hedda Award for Best Children's Play in 2019. The soundtrack was nominated for the "Best Original Score for Other Media" Award at the 2019 Reel Music Awards.

What felt important with MIO was that the music should depict the larger-than-life adventure, but also allude to its intimate, melancholy subtext – and never forget the personal story at its core. When the source material is as powerful as Astrid Lindgren's MIO, MIN MIO (first published in 1954), inspiration comes quick and fast. It's often a case of reading the script and just listening – the melodies may already be there! One fascinating thing about MIO is that the story is told in such a way, that everything that happens somehow feels inevitable. Holding on to that, I had a strong feeling that the melodies both should feel simple and carry that same feel of inevitability. To quote Mio: "You cannot change what has already been decided for thousands and thousands of years!"

MIO, MIN MIO was my first collaboration with amazing stage director Hilde Brinchmann, and my second foray into the classic fantasy world of Astrid Lindgren, after 2014's THE BROTHERS LIONHEART directed by Svein Sturla Hungnes.