Strangely Familiar

-About a man who meets himself-

Jakop Ahlbom Company presents “Strangely Familiar” in the 2024-2025 season, a surreal performance about social pressure and self-worth.

The main character in “Strangely Familiar” is not seen by his colleagues. He escapes his difficult existence by drifting away to a dreamed world where everything he desires can exist. However, he is unable to make his dreams come true. 

When a new employee arrives at the office, this man turns out to be his perfect lookalike. How is it that this double receives the recognition our hero has longed for? He is confronted with everything he is not, or dares not to be, or perhaps does not want to be. His dreams turn into nightmares, seemingly taking over reality. “Strangely Familiar” depicts the struggle our hero undergoes, and we, in a sense, enter his mind with all its consequences.

Strangely Familiar is partly inspired by the dystopian reality of the series 'Severance,' created by, among others, Ben Stiller, and the absurd films of Roy Andersson. Dostoevsky's novella 'The Double' has also been a significant source of inspiration.