From taking your shoes off when entering somebody’s house to exercise your patience waiting in a line, Swedish life is full of social rules that you need to know in order to survive here (well, maybe you will survive but if you know the rules, life will be much easier).
“Lost in translation” shows in a very entertaining way the cultural differences between Swedes and foreigners. This comedy show will make you laugh a lot!
As an expat, there is always a moment when you feel that you don’t belong, and if you came to Sweden, you have probably felt it more than once. There are lot of “unspoken norms” that are typical swedish, such as being ALWAYS on time or walking on the right so people in a hurry can pass you on the left… small things that will make you feel lost in the middle of the train station.
The show
Let’s talk about Lost in Translation!
The idea behind the show came from Josh Lenn, an American actor and director who moved to Sweden some years ago as a “Love refugee” (this is what people usually say when someone has moved to Sweden because they felt in love with a Swede).
Josh, as many of us, has had similar experiences and feelings when it comes to living in Sweden. He wanted to share these experiences and what a better way to do it than with a comedy show.
The cast has done a great job. They have been working on this successful and therapeutic experience since it started in 2012 and many people around the world has come to see it.
Lost in translation uses improvisation as a way of building the story of the show. Often, the improvisers take suggestions from the audience and create the story around it, making every performance spontaneous and unique.
Yes, and… a little bit about improve
This is a classic improv game to learn the value of accepting each others ideas and build on them. The game can be played with two or more people and the idea is to build a conversation using the words “Yes, and…” at the beginning of every sentence.
So, one person starts with a sentence, then the next person has to say “Yes, and…” and add a new statement, then the next person continues using “Yes, and…” and adding something else and maybe a little exaggerated until a funny moment occurs.
An example of this game (taken from https://www.dramanotebook.com):
“The river is full of fish.” (opening statement)
“Yes, and one of them is enormous.”
“Yes, and he’s swimming toward us.”
“Yes, and he looks hungry.”
“Yes, and we are trapped in this boat.”
“Yes, and he looks more like a whale than a fish.”
“Yes, and now the motor won’t start.”
“Yes, and he’s about to swallow us.”
“Yes and I just remembered that this boat is also a plane.”
“Yes and lucky for you I just got my pilot’s license.”
This technique is not only used in theater but it can also be used in real life and it has a lot of benefits:
- It will help you find your own voice.
- It helps creative cooperation.
- It creates a team-oriented atmosphere.
- It embraces other people ideas and concepts.
- It helps you to be fully present in the moment.
- It helps you to become a better listener.
- It helps you to develop trust.
- It helps you to overcome anxiety.
- And the best of all… it is FUN!
Good reads about Improv
If you would like to learn more about improv, maybe to have it as hobby or to use it in your business strategy or simply to apply it in your daily life, these are some recommended books for you.
Stop Boring Me!: How to Create Kick-Ass Marketing Content, Products and Ideas Through the Power of Improv by Kathy Klotz-Guest. Buy it on Amazon US
.
Bossypants by Tina Fey. Buy it on Amazon US
.
Brain Disruption: Radical Innovation in Business through Improv by by Bruce & Gail Montgomery. Buy it on Amazon US
.
Improvising Now by Ron Norman. Buy it on Amazon US
.
So, go ahead, read, learn, practice and why not… take an improv class (tip: International Theater Stockholm is a great place to start).
Now let’s go back to the show…
Love refugee
As we mentioned before, “Love refugee” is a common expression in Sweden when someone moved here for love and the director has experienced this at first hand. The second part of the show is a romantic comedy, also using improv, and it is all about emotions.
The culture difference can be overwhelming at home and you really need to learn and respect the customs of your love one, if you really want it to work. While this can be a hot topic in reality, it can also be hilarious in the theater.
The cast: Jenny Björk, Micke Blomqvist, Veronica Bergström Carlsten, Olov Häggmark, Josh Lenn, Maria Lindberg Reinius, Katarina Wahlberg
Location: Boulevardteatern – Götgatan 73 116 62 STOCKHOLM
Tickets are gone really fast, so you better hurry up! Buy your ticket here.
If you come to “Lost in Translation” show, we’d love to hear from you!
being spontaneous makes this show special and very fun to watch. I know the show already but did not know about its origin story about Josh, it is interesting and good to know . Thanks for interesting knowledge
We agree, that’s the best part! Each show is unique, so you can actually go and see it several times. Thanks for your comment.