The House of Revolution Are Trying To Make A Better Society

If you are feeling a bit drab, lost and in dire need of some variety in the form of live entertainment, head on over to the House of Revolution where they are serving radical representational fierceness.

The House of Revolution is an ongoing variety show series and the creation of the R.E.C. Arts Reykjavík, an artist-activist collective whose mission it is to bring visibility, diversity and inclusivity of marginalised performers to Icelandic arts and media.

“Our goal is showing people who are either already professional artists or on their way to that who have not been given a platform in the Icelandic arts scene to really shine,” they say. “Some of them have been working artists for years and years but because there’s so much nepotism in Iceland and so much gatekeeping, they haven’t had that platform.”

A burgeoning community

The collective began in the end of 2021 when its founders and acronym-namesakes Rebecca Hidalgo, Eva Yggdrasil, and Chaiwe Sól Patiswa Drifudóttir decided to create a platform for artists from marginalised communities. The three founders are themselves artists who intersect many different identities and marginalizations.

“Being in a marginalised group and trying to get a voice here in Iceland is like being one of those rats in the cage that are always being electrocuted.”

It began as a series of workshops and community building. “Being in a marginalised group and trying to get a voice in Iceland is like being one of those rats in the cage that are always being electrocuted,” they say. “It might make you feisty and kind of unsure and unsafe. Feeling a sense of community is gonna have the reverse effect.”

In the summer of 2022, R.E.C. Arts Reykjavík brought their burgeoning community together to do a takeover at the Reykjavík Art Festival’s hub in Iðnó, which culminated with a variety show and thus House of Revolution was born.

Since then they have staged four shows (or volumes) of House of Revolution in the National Theatre’s cellar, with previous themes including “Metamorphosis”, “Valenteaze” and “Hallowdream”. In May of this year, the series was nominated for a National Icelandic Theatre Award (Gríman) for Outstanding Innovation in the Performing Arts.

Open call

Each edition of House of Revolution is cast through their open calls, which they note is not a common practice in the Icelandic performing arts and theatre scene.

The theme of their upcoming fifth show is “Rooted”, with performances centred around what it means to call a place home — especially for those who have moved here and have complicated relationships with where home is. It’s also about the concept of rootedness in one’s own identity.

“There are so many factors that come into where you’re from and how you identify and where you belong,” they say. “It’s not just about home as a place, but feeling at home within your body too. We have a few artists doing pieces about their body image about where they stand with that.”

“We see theatre as a mirror to create a better society.”

The performers will include comedian Dan Roh, aerial pole artist Kamilla, a combined poetry singing & sign language storytelling performance by NÓEL, a new collaboration by musicians Mario Infantes & Monace, and many more. The entire show will be sign language interpreted by Hraðar Hendur Tánkmálskúlkar, will have audience participation and prizes, and ends with a dance party with DJ Carla Rose.

The entire event will showcase powerful stories that will bolster R.E.C. Arts Reykjavík’s main mission — to enact social change through the force of art.

“We see theatre as a mirror to create a better society,” they say. “It’s a platform to tell stories to teach the majority how to be around people that don’t fit in the norm. We want to create something that would make the minority the majority.”

House of Revolution vol. 5 “ROOTED” takes place Saturday, October 5 at 21:00 at the National Theatre’s Basement. Tickets cost 4.900-6.500 ISK but you can pay-what-you-can at the door.