SparksLab Professional Workshop

Call for Applications

SparksLab Professional Workshop

Reykjavik Iceland | April 23-25, 2026

The Storyteller and the Stage

Assitej Iceland is pleased to invite two artists from each member country of the ASSITEJ Small Countries Network to participate in the SparksLab program The Storyteller and the Stage, a professional workshop taking place from April 23-26 in Reykjavik Iceland, at the Reykjavik City Theatre in collaboration with the UNGI International Assitej festival for young audiences.

The workshop will focus on the art of storytelling in theatre for young audiences. The main goal of this workshop is to bring together emerging artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, to familiarize them with new artistic forms, and to place particular emphasis on creation for young audiences, thereby encouraging the emergence of innovative new works.

For this workshop in Reykjavik the participants will have the opportunity to find inspiration and magic from writer, director, performer, festival organizer and Pagan priest Elvar Logi Hannesson, focusing on using the art of storytelling on the stage.

Workshop: The Storyteller and the Stage

Performing artists and Storytellers who are interested in using storytelling in PAYA are invited to participate in a workshop focusing on the storyteller and the stage. Participants will examine how they can take a story, a fairy tale or historical fact and wield it into a compelling and relevant story echoing from the stage in a dramatic or a comedic narrative to stir new imaginations, thoughts, and feelings. The workshop is a hands-on exercise on how to use the magic of performing arts to convey stories to the audience and the participants will experiment with various methods of storytelling such as stand-up comedy and one act plays.

Elvar Logi Hannesson is a playwright, director, storyteller, a priest in the Asatru Nordic Religion and a performer who graduated from the Commedia School in Copenhagen Denmark in 1997. He has performed in over 60 plays, most of whom are his own creations. He founded the Comedy theatre in 2001 and the theatre festival Act Alone focusing on solo performances, storytelling and standup comedy in 2004. He has directed over seventy theatre plays both in professional and amateur theatre around Iceland, written books about theatre in Iceland and is the author of popular children's books. His plays end performances have focused on using storytelling to bring compelling stories, fairy tales and important historical events to life on the stage, mostly using his narrative technique, physical ardor, costumes and props without the usual stage requirements of huge sets, lights and rigging making it possible to perform in unconventional spaces.

Schedule of the Professional Workshop:

April 22, 2026: Arrival of participants

April 23-25, 2026: Workshop with Elvar Logi Hannesson

April 23, 2026: Opening Ceremony of UNGI Assitej International Festival for young audiences and opening show.

April 26, 2026: Departure of participants

Networking and professional exchanges will be organized throughout the stay.

Eligibility Criteria:

Target Audience: Professional artists and storytellers in the performing arts for young audiences, particularly emerging artists in the field of stage arts for young audiences, or those interested in experiencing storytelling for future projects
Age Limit: None
Conditions: Artists working in the field of young audiences from one of the small countries
Application Selection: The application will be analyzed and evaluated by a jury made up of one member from each country and the workshop leader.

Conditions

Participants must be available and ready to participate in the entire workshop from April 23-25, 2026. Arrival date in Iceland April 22 and departure April 26.
Each Participant should cover international travel costs. Domestic travel, accommodation and meals will be covered by organizer.
Each applicant must fill out the Google Form with the following information:
Participant's details
Date of birth
Profession
biography (max 200 characters)
Creations for young audiences in which you have collaborated on?
What are your interests in working on creations for young audiences?
What are your reasons for taking part in the SparksLab program?

Important Dates: