Svartediket: Black Metal Musical

The shadows around the Lake Svartediket (Black Dyke) conceal the misdeeds of a whole town, misdeeds so dark that even God himself closes his eyes on them. This is the starting point for the world’s first Black Metal musical.

The drinking water reservoir Lake Svartediket in Bergen was until the 19th century the scene of some gruesome events. Thousands of unwanted children are said to have been drowned in the lake, and no one knows how many people have taken their own lives in its murky depths.

Svartediket is based on the true story of a small family that had to relinquish its new-born baby to the pastor at the inner end of the Isdal valley by Lake Svartediket. Aided and abetted by Bergen’s most notorious midwife, ‘Matja the Slugger’, he is said to have killed hundreds of children and sunk them in the lake. The audience follows the family’s fateful struggle against this hitherto unknown murdering couple in Norwegian history …

Black metal is one of today’s most theatrical styles of music. At the same time, it is international – with Bergen as its capital.

One of the main actors, Kristian Gaahl, is a Norwegian black metal vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian bands Gorgoroth and God Seed.

Produced by the DNS theatre.

ARILD BRAKSTAD script & music
ARNE LONGVASTØL music
JONAS DIGERUD director
TORE SÆTHER set and costume design
Cast: KRISTIAN GAHL, SIGURD SELE, SIREN JØRGENSEN, PÅL RØNNING. KARIN STAUTLAND, GERALD PETTERSEN et al.