Salka Gudmundsdottir (1981) was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she currently resides and works as a writer and translator. Salka‘s original writing has been published in various forms. In 2007, her short story One of the Lads was awarded first prize in the annual crime writing competition run by the Icelandic Crime Association. Her first play Súldarsker (Mizzle Rock) received excellent reviews when it opened in January 2011, among other accolades earning Salka a nomination for best playwright at the Icelandic Theatre Awards 2011. Mizzle Rock was featured inEuropean Theatre Today 2012 as one of the best new plays from Europe. Her one act play And the Children Never Looked Back was staged as part of a Play, a Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor in Glasgow in September 2012 and was later developed into Breaker which was produced at Holden Street Theatres during Adelaide Fringe 2013 and won both a Weekly Fringe Award for Best The- atre and the prestigious Underbelly Edinburgh Award. Breaker was subsequently performed at Underbelly Cowgate throughout the Edinburgh Fringe 2013. A one-act play by Salka ran at the Reykjavik City Theatre from April to June 2013 and she wrote a play for young actors as part of the National Theatre of Iceland’s youth project 2012-2013. Salka’s most recent play is The Elusive Portal, a children’s play produced by Sodid Svid Theatre Company in a 2013 co-production with the National Theatre of Iceland.
Salka holds a BA (First Class) in Drama from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, an MLitt (First Class) in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow, and an MA (First Class) in Translation Studies from the University of Iceland.
Breaker
1F,1M
Translations: Scottish, English
Breaker is a powerful new play by Icelandic writer Salka Gudmundsdottir, translated and directed by Scottish director Graeme Maley. Caught up in nostalgia and myths, Daniel comes to the remote island where his grandmother grew up, seeking answers and closure but finds local teacher Sunna trying to make her own way through the darkness following a horrific series of events in the community. Gripping and thought-provoking.
Adelaide Now: “This Icelandic play, translated into Scots, is a powerful story of the effects of tragedy on a community and two peo- ple’s attempts to make sense of it.”
Kryztoff Raw: “This is another high-quality production at Holden Street, which offers strong performances, interesting subject mat- ter and an opportunity to think, feel and contemplate.”
1/2 Adelaide Theatre Guide: “This poetic, dark tale of legend and loss is well worth putting on your list of Fringe productions to see!”
