Two students on the BA programme in Icelandic as a second language at the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies have founded the theatre company Áhersluhreimur, which aims to create opportunities for Icelandic language learners to become active participants in Icelandic culture and society. The founders are Jacquetta Szathmari from the United States and Pernille Nørgaard Videbæk from Denmark.
Áhersluhreimur plans to stage new works written and performed by people learning Icelandic as a second language. Jacquetta Szathmari says that taking part in the theatre company can help people gain confidence, practise the language and play with Icelandic in an environment where speaking with an accent is celebrated. The magic of theatre can also help those who may have developed a negative relationship with spoken Icelandic rebuild it. “We will use theatre as a bridge to make the Icelandic language and culture more accessible and relevant to our fellow students and us,” says Jacquetta.
According to Jacquetta, the Icelandic as a second language programme is academically demanding, but there are few opportunities for social interaction in Icelandic: “In the limited time we have outside the classroom and our studies, many students struggle to find ways to use and practise Icelandic, let alone learn to enjoy speaking it. Many of us use English as the language of communication at work, even in Icelandic workplaces, as Icelanders often switch to English when speaking to us. This means we do not get enough practice, which can lead to a fear of speaking Icelandic and, in turn, leave us feeling isolated and as if we are failing to learn the language. But language acquisition is community-based. It takes a village, as they say, or a theatre company.”
Jacquetta says that learning Icelandic has been both a comical and puzzling experience for her, providing excellent material for theatre. “When we write, we can work with these experiences, and on stage we can practise what we have learnt both in and outside the classroom. We love Icelandic, and we are not giving up on it, even though the journey can sometimes be difficult,” says Jacquetta. She encourages native Icelandic speakers to respond to people learning the language with encouragement, patience, and, last but not least, in Icelandic.
Jacquetta and Pernille both have experience in writing and theatre. Pernille is a Danish author with a PhD in marketing, while Jacquetta holds a BA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in Urban Planning from Hunter College. She also worked for many years as a writer and director in comedy and fringe theatre in New York and Los Angeles, United States.
Áhersluhreimur rehearses in room 108 in Saga on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., and everyone is welcome. The theatre company collaborates with Sprettur, an educational innovation project aimed at inclusion and the mutual integration of immigrants into university education.