The Plot
Around 270 AD, the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus 2nd made it illegal for young men to marry. Despite this law, the priest Valentine married young couples in secret. Claudius is praised for his might and power. The emperor orders all young men to enrol in the army. The empress is, at this stage in the story, not happy with the way the emperor deals with Valentine. She asks her husband to show his power and get rid of him. Valentine gets the opportunity to give up his mission. Valentine has got his warning. But he makes it clear that he can’t deny his faith.
The vestalinnen at the court see no other option than having Valentine executed. They must guard the fire. If it dies, unrest will harm the empire. The same might happen because of Valentine’s doing.
The prison guard likes Valentine. He has a blind daughter. Secretly she is brought to prison several times so that Valentine can give her some kind of education. They develop a very close friendship. As a priest he prays for a miracle, so that Julia can see while they are in the prison.
The verdict sentences Valentine to death. The emperor and the empress were both impressed by Valentine’s courage, but political stability was paramount. Still, they have their doubts whether it is the right thing to kill him.
In his cell Valentine writes his final goodbye letter to Julia. This can be seen as the very first Valentine card. As Julia’s father reads the letter for her, she then kisses it - and the miracle happens: She can see.
Valentine is dead, and she can see. Complicated emotions makes it difficult to be so happy and sad at the same time.
Writer and Composers
For seventeen years the writer and the composers were teachers at the same junior high school in Norway. Together they have written and composed several plays for teenagers.
Arve Konnestad
Composer
Arve has worked with young people decades long in the field of music and theatre. He has had leading (with others) roles in international projects in Norway, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, Bosnia Hercegovina, Israel, Palestine, Spain and USA (minor role).
Peter Haltorp
Composer
Peter is a very skilled bass player. He is also a very popular orchestra/band leader. This gives him missions of various kinds in large parts of Norway. Peter has worked with many of the leading Norwegian artists.
Odd Grjotheim
Writer
Odd is very experienced in theatre work. Together with both professionals and amateurs, he has directed more than 100 (!) productions. These includes shows like Hair, Chess and the The King of the Jews. To many of the performances, he wrote the texts.
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History
How the musical came to be
In February 2009, the two composers and the writers were teachers at the same school. The chat they had in one of their breaks was about the upcoming Valentine Day. There was little knowledge among them on why the day is celebrated.
Their curiosity then led them into the various myths about the saint. The writer (Odd Grjotheim) wrote the text to a musical for teenagers. Peter Haltorp and Arve Konnestad composed the music. One year later it was performed locally in their hometown, Grimstad, in Norway.
Valentine is buried in the Italian city Terni. Since the Norwegian group had friends there, the process started to get the manuscript translated into Italian and having it performed there. The musical faced several changes in order to fit performances for professional adults. Matteo Corrado, from Terni, organized and directed the first performance in Italy in July 2015. In the following years the musical has also been staged in Rieti and Bussolengo in Italy.
Fjareheia is one of the most famous outdoor theatres in Norway. Around 4500 watched the musical there in the summer 2018.
For the time being processes are ongoing to extend international performances. It is already translated into English. During 2021 there are possibilities to include 3-4 more languages.
Get in touch
Arve Konnestad
akonnest@online.no
Peter Haltorp
phaltorp@gmail.com
Odd Grjotheim
oddgrjotheim@gmail.com