Our past work in Iceland

Viva Holding is a theater company that is committed to creating new live theater and dance works while empowering women theater artists to collaborate and innovate in various roles, including playwrights, directors, technicians, and actors. Their US based affiliate, off the WALL productions, has been staging shows in Pittsburgh and New York City for the last 17 years, and they are now showcasing their performances at Tjarnarbio.

May 31, 2025 Kjallara - Þjóðleikhúsið

ForbHIDDEN People
created and performed by
Rosie Tulips - Perse Fanny - Bitsy Brulee

An American burlesque and variety show celebrating the mystical and magical realm of Icelandic folklore. Featuring songs, dance, and strip tease by three New York City based artists. This is a celebration of the untameable forces of nature which stand in defiance of industry and exploitation. Bitsy Brûlée, Persé Fanny and Rosie Tulips have mixed the realms of storytelling and striptease to create a unique performance for audiences. Join them as they take you on a spellbinding journey exploring everything fantastically fae.

The show is loosely themed around the conflict between humans and nature. We've taken inspiration from both Icelandic folklore and stories from pop culture such as Princess Mononoke and Fern Gullie. The first half of the show celebrates nature, elves, and spirits seductively at play, while the second half shows how destructively these forces can mix with mankind and industry. We'll have both classic and neoburlesque acts, mixed with bits of ballet, song, and poetry.

Ann and Me:

or The Big Bad Abortion Play

Jessica is a middle aged, middle income, mostly average white lady– who has had abortions. And those abortions led her to study the history of abortion in the United States– because she’s a bit of a nerd. And then she wrote a really big play about Ann Lohman– an Abortionist in the 1800’s and all around badass! And she thought that the abortion chapter of her life was closed, she was almost menopausal after all... But then came Dobbs. And Jessica realized that
having written a play about the history of legal abortion in the United States made her an expert in a niche part of legal history that was all of a sudden
very important. Come along for the ride on this alternately harrowing
and hilarious interactive experience!

Written and Performed by Jessica Bashline
and directed by Margaret M. Ledford.

Ann and Me: or The Big Bad Abortion Play was developed at
American Theatre Northwest & Syracuse Stage’s Cold Read Festival.

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REVIEWS

WINNER "BEST STORYTELLER"
2023 UNITED SOLO FESTIVAL NYC

June 2024

When Jesus Divorced Me
Written and performed by Laura Irene Young
Directed by Allison Weakland

She was married to the man of her dreams. Shortly after their wedding, he is cast at a theme park where he either plays Jesus or crucifies him everyday at 3. She tries to be proud of her husband in his new endeavor. Not until a princess from a neighboring theme park comes into the picture, does she realize something is amiss. Now, she is left with the weird and weirdly funny aftermath. A story about how we deal we life's messes and breakups. This surprising folk-music concert from Laura Irene Young expertly moves from gut busting to gut punching: with a score that is equally cheeky and vulnerable you won’t want to miss this show.

June 2023

Mother Lode

Mother Lode deals with the end-of-life decisions that must be made by dutiful daughters, as well as the discord, conciliation, warfare, and ultimate acceptance (whether they like it or not) between strong, independent women bound by love and family. More...

June 2023

Etty

Etty Hillesum’s life ended at Auschwitz when she was only 29 years old. In the play, Etty, drawn entirely from Hillesum’s diaries and letters of 1941 to 1943, we meet a remarkable young Dutch woman: insightful, determined, poetic, sensual. More...

August 2022

The Women Who Rode Away

Featuring original music and projected paintings by Zukerman, this intimate portrait recounts the artist's journey of finding her own voice through the stories of the women in her life that paved the way. More...