The Sheep Song

‘Fables are one of the oldest literary instruments in our language area, tales that use animals to teach us moral lessons about good and evil. To what extent is it possible in our current age of fake news and alternative facts to take such a clear-cut, unequivocally moral position? The FC Bergman company asked itself this question when it decided to make a new piece in the form of a fable. The company had previously made an adaptation of the fable Reynard the Fox. The Sheep Song marks a move in the opposite direction: this piece was not based on any existing tale, but instead a wholly new fable was created that centres on a theme that has preoccupied people throughout the ages: transformation. 

Coming of Age
Despite its impressive appearance, the fabulous sheep in the leading role of The Sheep Song is an everyman figure: it stands for every person with a desire to rise above itself. Using this animal, FC Bergman explores what it means to be human. What hurdles does the sheep actually have to clear before it can call itself human? On its quest to be human, the animal encounters one mythical figure after another, some of which help it while others work against it. As a result, its quest - its coming of age - is alternatingly propelled and slowed down. Transformation These two opposing forces in the story are informed by distinctly differing ideas about change. On the one hand, it is seen as a force that propels humans towards self-realisation - people who bring about change are seen as leading successful lives. On the other hand, change can be a threat to humans: aging, decaying and dying are forms of change that instil fear and insecurity. To concretise this contradiction in the piece, the company drew inspiration from two existing stories. In Goethe’s deeply Christian work Faust, the main character makes a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. He represents humankind who, like a scientist, gains insight into the mysteries of life. In contrast, there are Ovid’s pre-scientific Metamorphoses, in which humans are helpless and at the mercy of the whims of the gods. The human tendency to change consists on the one hand of a desire to grow and a fear of change on the other - The Sheep Song is about this paradox. Paintings FC Bergman is known for the large and impressive sets with an abundance of video material that it makes itself. With The Sheep Song, the company goes back to basics: a stage piece without video or major increases in scale. Still, the striking mise en scene will play an important role, but this time its complexity will lie in the ingenious costumes and masks. Inspired by medieval painting and theatre, in which each story takes place on a two-dimensional line between a gate to heaven and a gate to hell, The Sheep Song similarly lacks a third dimension of depth. Accompanied with fitting music, mythical figures on the front of the stage help create a variety of evocative scenes that represent the leading character’s journey. It is up to the sheep to find its way on this two-dimensional plane.