16 Lovers is a performance group based in Iceland.
The lovers are: Aðalbjörg Þóra Árnadóttir, Brynja Björnsdóttir, Davíð Freyr Þórunnarson, Eva Rún Snorradóttir, Friðgeir Einarsson, Gunnar Karel Másson, Hlynur Páll Pálsson, Karl Ágúst Þorbergsson, Ragnar Ísleifur Bragason, Saga Sigurðardóttir and Ylfa Ösp Áskelsdóttir. 16 Lovers is a democratic performance group, devising performances based on unilateral decisions by all members of the group.
16 Lovers do therefore not have a single director, set designer, author etc. We are all authors and makers of our performances.
Aðalbjörg Árnadóttir graduated from the acting program at Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2005. She has performed with the City Theater of Reykjavík and with various independent groups. She has also appeared in TV shows, radio plays and short films. She is a member of the theatre company 16 lovers and is a founding member of The Professional Amateurs theatre group -http://ahugaleikhus-atvinnumanna.com/ as well as the theatre group Sodid svid-http://sodidsvid.com/ Aðalbjörg worked at Akureyri Theatre Company 2012-2014.
Brynja Björnsdóttir
Brynja Björnsdóttir graduated from the Fine Arts department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2008 with a B.A. degree in fine arts and from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2013, with an MA degree in scenography. Among the theatre works she has designed are Every brilliant thing, The potato eaters, Extravaganza, Hannes and Smári, Illska, Don´t hold your breath, Blue Eyes, African Grey and The House of Bernarda Alba in The Reykjavík City Theatre. Skrattinn úr sauðarleggnum, The Elusive Portal, The Jukebox and Chameleon in The National Theatre. Hans Blær, A lecture on something beautiful, Petra, Mizzle Rock and After the End in Tjarnarbíó. Núnó & Júnía The Complete Works of William Shakespeare at The Akureyri Theatre Company.
brynjabjorns.com
Davíð Freyr Þórunnarson
Davíð Freyr Þórunnarson graduated as an actor from the Film/Theatreschool Holberg in Copenhagen in spring 2007. Since then he has been involved in many performances on stage, on screen and in the radio. In addition to his education he has been trained in dancing, singing and long form improve.
Alongside working with 16 lovers, Davíð has performed with other groups such as Óskabörn Ógæfunnar and Kriðpleir.
Davíð has a wide experience on screen and has performed in films such as Bjarnfreðarson, Jitters, Life in a Fishbowl and the Russian sci-fi The Calculator, the documentary Journey´s End and numerous commercials and ad campaigns, domestically and abroad. In 2014 Davíð played the lead role in a large ad campaign in Poland. The Campaign won numerous prizes in the home country and neighbour area. Davíð´s most resent screen work is a role in the television series Case which was shown around the world and available on Netflix. And a commercial for Dodge RAM in the United States that aired in the infamous commercial break at the superbowl.
In the year 2015 Davíð graduated with a master degree in Cultural Management from Bifröst University which is a great addition to his practical- and production arsenal. As well as co- writing, project managing and producing at 16 lovers, Davíð has produced with groups such as Díó, EP (Edda Productions), Lab Loki, Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir and Óskabörn Ógæfunnar.
Eva Rún Snorradóttir
Eva Rún Snorradóttir graduated with BA in Contemporary Performance Practice from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in the spring of 2008. Eva Rún is one of the founding members and artistic directors of Kviss Búmm Bang, as well as being a founding member of the performance group 16 lovers. Her first collection of poems, The End of the World is With You all Your Life, was published in autumn 2013.
Friðgeir Einarsson
Friðgeir Einarsson works as an actor, director and author. Friðgeir graduated from the drama department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2008 with a B.A. degree in Contemporary Performance Practice. Since graduation he has worked independently and in collaboration with several independent actors, such as the performance groups Me and my friends and 16 lovers. In recent years Fridgeir has participated in performances such as Húmanímal, You're welcome, The Nigerian Scam and Turbulence, as well as acting in the TV series Heimsendir (The End of the World). The latest solo work by Friðgeir, titled Nothing, was shown in the Sequences festival in Reykjavik in 2011 and involved the release of a guidebook for laymen on the Meaning Accelerator. Friðgeir is also has a B.A. degree in Icelandic from the University of Iceland.
Gunnar Karel Másson
Gunnar Karel was born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1984. He started studying music at an early age and has played a diverse range of instruments. As a composer Gunnar mainly focuses on chamber music as he finds that his music gets the attention it deserves in smaller setups. Gunnar Karel has composed music for a number of theater productions. Including; Improvised history of the world, Gangverkið, Thirteenth night, Homo Absconditus, Nígeríusvindlið, Munaðarlaus, Fjöltengi og 2 Polish Speaking Rumanians.
Besides his composing he has been making his mark as concert producer. He founded the Sonic festival in Copenhagen with Filip C. de Melo in 2012 and he is also one of the curators for the Peripheriberry concert series in Reykjavík. Gunnar is a member of DKF, the theater group 16 elskendur and S.L.Á.T.U.R.
Hlynur Páll Pálsson
Hlynur Páll Pálsson graduated with BA in Contemporary Performance Practice from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2009. Upon graduation joined The Reykjavík City Theare as a Stage Manager, and the same year he showcased his graduation piece Homo Absconditus at the international theatre festival Lókal in Reykjavík. In recent years Hlynur has worked as an assistant director and a producer for the Reykjavík City Theatre. He has directed two performances; Ellý alltaf góð by the late Icelandic playwright Þorvaldur Þorsteinsson and Fjöltengi, a devised piece performed by homo ludens in the Reykjavík Central Bus Station at the artFart performance festival in 2010. Hlynur was the managing director for Reykjavík Dance Festival in 2014 and worked as the director of the Reykjavík Street Theatre in the summers of 2012 and 2013. He now works as a dramaturg and the director of education for the Reykjavík City Theatre.
Karl Ágúst Þorbergsson
Karl Ágúst Þorbergsson graduated with BA in Contemporary Performance Practice from the Icelandic University of the Arts in 2008 and with a MA from the Institute of Art in Context at Universität der Künste in Berlin in 2014. He is one of the founding member of the performance group 16 lovers. Along his work with 16 Lovers Karl also makes solo productions and works as a director and a dramaturg in theatrical productions. Karl is an assistant professor and the programme director of the Theatre and Performance Making course at the Icelandic University of the Arts.
Ragnar Ísleifur Bragason
Ragnar Ísleifur Bragason was born in Reykjavík. He graduated from Contemporary Performance Practice in the drama department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts. Ragnar is an author and actor. In 2008 he published a collection of poems titled Á meðan (Meanwhile). He has worked with various performance groups, for instance Vaðall, Kriðpleir and 16 lovers. In recent years he has taken part in the performances Var það gangári, Eyjaskegg, Blokk, Tiny Guy, Belated Inquiry, Crisis Meeting, Anyone´s Biography, The Nigerian Scam and The Spectacle of the Year. His recent work is the solo performance Old which he performed at Everybody´s Spectacular in 2018. Ragnar enjoys life and he has a son and a daughter he likes very much.
Saga Sigurðardóttir
Saga Sigurðardóttir is a performing artist, born and based in Reykjavík. Saga graduated as dance maker from the ArtEZ Art Academy (NL) in 2006 and has since created, directed and performed an extensive variety of stage works, often in collaboration with artists wide across the arts, locally and internationally. Saga is core member of Marble Crowd collective and The PPBB, performance band.
Saga finalized her MFA studies in Performing Arts at IAA in 2017 and holds a BA in Theology from Iceland University (as well as a a failed attempt at a degree in Economics). Saga has been a guest- and faculty teacher at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and is a regular guest at the LungA Art School in Seyðisfjörður. Since 2010 Saga is a board member of Reykjavik Dance Festival and Reykjavik Dance Atelier.
Ylfa Ösp Áskelsdóttir
Ylfa Ösp Áskelsdóttir graduated from the Film and Theatre School Holberg in Copenhagen in spring 2007. After graduation she joined the 16 lovers and has performed in most their works, including: IKEA Travels, The Nigerian scam - work-in-progress, The Nigerian Scam and The Spectacle of the Year. Ylfa graduated with a B.Ed. as a grade school teacher from the University of Iceland in 2011. She works as a teacher of drama in Hlíðaskóli and in the Kramhúsið. Ylfa has appeared in radio theater at the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service and in several commercials.