Moirais Vev

Moirais Vev was an early experimental larp, a proof-of-concept for the Fateplay method and a more theatrical approach to larping, heavily designed around precursors to Meta-Techniques. Players dramatized the Greek myth of Orpheus & Eurydice, in a three-act dramaturgy. The first act featured the wedding of Orpheus & Eurydice - turning from celebration to tragedy as the bride dies from a snake bite. The second act saw most players take on the roles of spirits of the dead, as Orpheus ventured to Hades to beg for and ultimately fail at Eurydice's return to the living. The third act returned to the overworld, as the fates of minor characters were resolved and Orpheus died at the hands of the Mænads. The minor characters - guests at Orpheus & Eurydice's wedding - incorporated several other myths into the story : the Oedipus myth, the Narcissus myth, and elements of Euripedes play Bachae. The larp was opened and closed by the appearance of the Moirai - the three goddesses of fate.

Scenography

The larp took place in a Norwegian forest, with tents and sunscreens forming the "wedding pavilion" of Orpheus & Eurydice. A nearby marsh, littered with the bones of large animals, star-lit from above yet shrouded in naturally occurring mist, was used to represent the kingdom of Hades.

Themes

The larp alternated between "dionysian" and "apollonic" scenes. Dionysian scenes were characterised by impulsiveness, revelry, strong emotions, the irrational. Apollonic scenes were formal, poetic, rational, aesthetic. The underlying myths came with themes of their own, such as death-and-rebirth, the crime of hybris, and the impossibility of challenging fate.

Techniques

- Fateplay - Act Structure - Greek Chorus - Drama workshop

External links

Moirais Vev archive (in Norwegian)