Diversity & New Realities: Nordic Drama

Diversity & New Realities: Nordic Drama in Türkiye brought together Nordic playwrights and Turkish theater professionals in collaboration with the independent Turkish theater group “GalataPerform” during their annual “New Text Festival 12” in Istanbul. The festival’s “Nordic Focus” program was a collaboration with the Danish Cultural Institute Türkiye , the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul and the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara.

Since 2018, guest playwrights from Sweden, Norway and Denmark have become more and more visible in Turkish theatre. Plays have been translated into Turkish, printed and staged as readings on stage, and several workshops and talks have been held with young Turkish playwrights and audience.

Nordic Focus, which emerged from these collaborations, became one of the main event themes of the festival and was held in several places such as DasDas, BAU University and Hope Alkazar. Danish director Tue Biering and playwright Marie Bjørn joined from Denmark to a discussion panel alongside translated readings of their respective plays “Rocky! Return of the Loser” and “Apocalypse”.  Over 600 people attended in the audience and got to enjoy the daring and ironic worldview of the Nordics. All texts were collected in a book which is supported by DKI TR and IKU, and published by “Forlaget Habitus”.