About

Una Thorleifsdottir, director.

Una Thorleifsdottir graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with an MA in Theatre (Directing); prior she studied Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths, College, University of London and French and culture at Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille I, in France.

Thorleifsdottir was until 2022 an associate professor in the Department of Performing Arts, Iceland University of the Arts, as well as a program director for Theatre and Performance Making. She was a permanent member of staff from 2004, becoming an assistant professor in the spring of 2013 and associate professor in 2020. She now teaches as a visiting lecturer.

Thorleifsdottir has been nominated for Gríman (the Icelandic Theatre Awards) as The Director of the Year, five times – for her work on Ást og upplýsingar in 2022, Atómstöðin - endurlit in 2020, ≈ [um það bil] in 2016 and for Gott fólk and Tímaþjófurinn in 2017. She won the awards as The Director of the Year for Atómstöðin - endurlit in 2020 and for Gott fólk in 2017. Her dramatization of Konan við 1000°, in collaboration with Hallgrímur Helgason and Símon Birgisson, also won Gríman as Play of the Year in 2015 and Atómstöðin - endurlit won Gríman as Performance of the Year in 2020. Her performances have also been shown at the 62. Kalisz Theatre Festival in Poland and at World Stages: International Theatre Festival at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington.

For contact email: una.thorleifsdottir@gmail.com

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Major productions as a director:

- X by Alistair McDowall premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre in March 2024.

- A few stories from Iceland by Weronika Murek, premiered at Teatr Stefana Zeromskiego, Kielce, Poland in January 2024.

- Mutter Courage and her Children by Bertold Brecht and Margarete Steffin, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in October 2023.

- Prinsessuleikarnir by Elfriede Jelinek, premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre in March 2023.

- Síðustu dagar Sæunnar by Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson, premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre in October 2022.

- Ást og upplýsingar by Caryl Churchill, premiered in The National Theatre of Iceland in March 2022.

- Zaraza by Albert Camus, adaption by Neil Bartlett, premiered at Teatr Stefana Zeromskiego, Kielce, Poland in October 2021. Invited to the 62 Kaliskie Spotkania Teatralne - Festiwal Sztuki Aktorskiej (Theatre Festival) in Kalisz, Poland, in May 2022.

- Þétting hryggðar by Halldór Laxness Halldórsson, premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre in September 2021.

- Atómstöðin - endurlit by Halldór Laxness Halldórsson, in collaboration with Una Þorleifsdóttir, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in November 2019,

- ≈ [PRAWIE RÓWNO] by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, premiered at Teatr Stefana Zeromskiego, Kielce, Poland in 2019,

- Dúkkuheimili, annar hluti ( A Doll’s House - part 2) by Lucas Hnath, premiered at the Reykjavik City Theatre in September 2018,

-       Óvinur fólksins (Enemy of the People) by Henrik Ibsen, a new dramatisation written in collaboration with Gréta Kristín Ómarsdóttir, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in September 2017,

-       Tímaþjófurinn (Thief of Time), a new dramatisation of Steinunn Sigurdardottir’s book, written by Melkorka Ólafsdottir, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in March 2017,

-       Gott fólk (Good People), a new dramatisation written in collaboration with Valur Grettisson and Símon Birgisson, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in January 2017,

-       Ég vil frekar að Goya haldi fyrir mér vöku en einhver djöfulsins fáviti (I would rather Goya kept me awake than some asshole) by Rodrigo Garcia, a collaboration project between ST/una and the National Theatre of Iceland, premiered in Oktober 2016

-       ≈ [um það bil] by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in Desember, 2015,

-       Konan við 1000° (Woman at 1000°) a dramatisation of Hallgrimur Helgason book, written in collaboration with Hallgrímur Helgason and Símon Birgisson, premiered at the National Theatre of Iceland in September 2014,

-       Harmsaga (A Tragedy) a new play by Mikael Torfason premiered in the fall of 2013 at the National Theatre of Iceland and in March 2014 at World Stages: International Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington. Critique:

• Nelson Pressley, Washington Post: Rage meets misery in Harmsaga at the Kennedy Center

• Susan Gailbraith, DC Theatre Scene: Harmsaga at World Stages

• Sydney-Chanele Dawkins, DC Metro, Theatre Arts: World Stages International Theatre Festival - Harmsaga at the Kennedy Center

-       Nú er himneska sumarið komið (Now the heavenly summer is here) a new play by Sigtryggur Magnason premiered in the spring of 2013 at Arbaer Museum.

Thorleifdottir has also worked for the Icelandic Radio Theater, RUV.

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Publication:

One of the editors of the book as a whole and the author of the article THOUGHTS ON INTUITION & THE CREATIVE PROCESS. Contradictory and practical ways to become more intuitive in our work in Looking for direction : Rethinking Theater directing practices and pedagogies in the 21st century