Saga is a one-act musical consisting of three short plays. The first is “Anne Brown Creates Bess and Flees to Norway,” the second is “Joachim Rønneberg and his Platoon of Skiers Save The World,” and the third is “On A Sunny Spring Morning in Oslo, 1925.” Weaving fiction and biography, original music and timeless classics, this theatrical piece explores the ways all forms of bigotry pull people apart, but also the humor and resiliance of the human spirit that keep hope alive.

Saga was conceived and written by Ed Weissman. Original music is by Chris Blacker, original lyrics are by Chris Blacker and Ed Weissman.

The Only Way To Feel is to Do.

This is the opening of the third piece of the triptych. It is the spring of 1925, the year Oslo took its name back after centuries of Danish colonial rule. Solvi, an elderly widow decides to try and shake off her winter malaise by going for a walk in Frogner Park and feeding the birds,

A Poem, Nothing More

Solvi’s time in the park is interrupted by a grouchy old man named Erling, who begrudgingly sits down next to her after scaring away her birds. At first, their interaction is contentious, but eventually things soften. Erling pulls out a book of poetry and asks if he can read aloud: Solvi is surprised (to say the least) at his literary taste.

Glass Boat

This is the closing number of the second piece of the triptych. Joachim’s experiences leading Operation Gunnerside and working with the Norwegian Resistance in general led him to the conclusion that freedom and democracy are like a glass boat that everyone has to work to protect.