Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting (NCNP)

Workshops and/or performances:

Playwrights arrange in-house workshops during which new Norwegian drama texts are tested at one of the stages in the venue. Here the text can have its first meeting with actors and perhaps also a director. The workshop lasts for one or more days, and usually ends with a performance where possible producers and other professionals get insight into the work in progress.

Onstage conversations:

NCNP arranges conversations with playwrights, theatre managers, actors or directors connected to the production or workshop performance.

Playwright in residence program:

A playwright in residence is given expanded support and is offered access to the resources of the house for a two-year period. The program wishes to provide the playwright with artistic, technical and financial resources plus an artistic grant of 100 000 NOK per annum.

Playwrights in residence 2013-2015: Hans Petter Blad, Fredrik Brattberg, Eirik Fauske, Oda Fiskum, Rønnaug Kleiva, Kate Pendry and Maria Tryti Vennerød.

Playwrights in residence 2014-2016: Kristin Auestad Danielsen, Kristofer Blindheim Grønskag, Liv Heløe, Lisa Lie, Miriam Prestøy Lie, Toril Goksøyr, Camilla Martens, Kristian Lykkeslet Strømskag and Demian Vitanza.

House dramathon:

Annual marathon performances with works by NCNP's playwrights in residence, performed as readings, performances and stunts with professional actors and directors.

Visiting performances:

From time to finished productions are performed at NCNP. These may be by artists working with new Norwegian drama and/or performing artists formerly supported by NCNP. The work is always placed in context through an onstage conversation.

Festivals:

Several times every year festivals are arranged at NCNP, in collaboration with others and at the initiative of NCNP.

Lectures and seminars:

Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting arranges its own series of lectures in which performing artists are invited to talk about topics they care about.

EXCERPT FROM THE HISTORY OF NORWEGIAN CENTRE FOR NEW PLAYWRITING:

Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting (NCNP) was established after the following, among other things:

The evaluation of The Open Theatre, done by Susan Fazakerley, IdaLou Larsen and Tom Remlov, concluded with the following two main recommendations to The Ministry of Culture:

1: The foundation should concentrate on being a laboratory and development centre for new drama/performing arts text and to discard the ambition to become a producing venue, a borough theatre in Grønland.

2: The foundation should manage its development work in as close a collaboration with the producing venues as possible. This is valid for theatre institutions as well as for independent constellations.

Related to Proposition to the Storting 32 in 2007/2008 a suggestion was made by the Ministry, evaluated by three theatre professionals: Bentein Baardson, Gunnar Germundson and Siren Leirvåg: They referred to the scheme for manuscript funding in film as a good model for how an expanded development scheme for performing arts drama could be organised. They also pointed out that the transformation from The Open Theatre to Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting should take place through, quote,"the primary emphasis is on the script process, not production". 

With this, the Proposition to the Storting from 2008 followed the line from the 2004 evaluation; namely, that Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting ought to focus on developing texts, not productions.

When Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting was established, it was led by a trio consisting of Marit Solbu, Jon Tombre and Kai Johnsen.

SOURCES:

Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting, dramatikkenshus.no, 04.08.2010, http://www.dramatikkenshus.no/pub/dramatikkenshus/Innhold/OmOss/?aid=782&cid=747#dramatikkenshus

Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting, e-mails 30.10.2014 and 05.05.2015

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