‘This is an opportunity for Presence to further engage with emerging playwrights, and also for us to help advance the practice of new performance writing across national boundaries through Presence’s distinctive actors’ play reading networks and processes. It is particularly special to be collaborating on this with our friends and kindred spirits at Unge Viken, and particularly thanks to Unge Viken dramaturg Oystein Brager for facilitating this. We very much look forward to welcoming him and the writers when they visit London over the coming months, and of course to sharing their work’
Colin Ellwood for Presence Theatre
Colin Ellwood for Presence Theatre
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This is a collaboration between Presence Theatre and Unge Viken Teater (previously Akerhus Teater) www.ungeviken.no, and is based on our shared internationalist outlook and passionate interest in the development and exploration of new performance writing. Unge Viken runs a workshop and development programme for new and emerging writers at their base in Lillestrom just outside Oslo; Presence Theatre runs a monthly central London professional actors’ play reading group that has developed a distinctive format for exploring and developing new plays with the writer in attendance.
Out of these complementary initiatives, this very exciting collaboration has grown. We are also very grateful to US Higher Education outreach organisation IES, who are the venue hosts of Presence’s Play Reading Group and some of whose visiting US students will have the opportunity to participate in the process, so making this a genuine collaboration across continents and between 3 nations: UK, Norway and US. |
Regine Folkman Rossnes (writer, poet), Oystein Ulsberg Brager (Unge Viken Theater) and Colin Ellwood (Presence Theatre).
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In late 2019, Oystein Brager, the dramaturg at Unge Viken invited applications from writers in his group to submit their scripts for the opportunity to be professional translated into English by Neil Howard, and for the writers then to travel to London to hear their play being read at Presence’s monthly actors reading group, then explored in workshop by actors and Presence directors, as well as being subject of a ‘readers’ report’ by Presence directors.
The two chosen writers/scripts are:
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PLAN OF WORKSHOPS:
Part 1: Report The scripts will be read by Presence directors Simon Usher and Colin Ellwood who will prepare a readers’ report on each from their individual and joint ‘directors perspective’ Part 2: The Presence Theatre Professional Actors’ Play Reading Group New Writing Process (IES Centre, Holborn, London) The group consists of a wide range of professional actors and meets monthly for a full day’s reading. In this case each playwright will attend a Friday session of the group to have their plays read and explored through the following (flexible) format, which has been successfully experienced by writers such as Simon Stephens who visited the group to hear his new play read prior to submitting it to the commissioning theatre. With the support of the ‘moderating’ director, the attending playwright is now invited to choose sections of the play to hear again, this time with ‘casting’ chosen from those present by the writer themselves. This is an opportunity to explore any insights and possibilities that have emerged during the initial reading. Part 3: Saturday: The Workshop @ Theatre Delicatessen, Broadgate. This full day workshop is a chance to build on and further explore some of the insights from the previous day through practical rehearsal room work, led by Presence directors and involving an ensemble of specifically invited and cast professional actors. |
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Presence Theatre is a Company Limited by Guarantee
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Registered Charity no. 1132900
Registered in England & Wales no. 6315043
Registered Charity no. 1132900
