Jon Fosse is one of only a handful of playwrights to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature out of 120 people in the last twelve decades. With this rarity, it is important to acknowledge the lack of access we have in the U.S. to experience masterful international plays. Why is it important for the American theatre to experience plays from abroad? And how can we move the needle to encourage more production of plays in translation into American-English?
This livestreamed event celebrates Jon Fosse with a very short excerpt from one of his plays. We hear from a few artists who collaborated on his early U.S. debut productions (2003 - 2013), and then we broaden outwards to hear reports from the field on the state of international plays in translation and production in the U.S. today.
Organized by Neil Blackadder, Samuel Buggeln, and Sarah Cameron Sunde with participation from Anna Gutto, Natalia Payne, Marie-Louise Miller, Amelia Parenteau, Adam Versenyi, Taylor Gaines, Philip Boehm, Patrizia Acerra, Cobina Gillitt, Andrea Thome, and DZ Maciel
For more about Fosse's work in translation, read "On Translating Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse’s Works for American Audiences," a conversation between Sarah Cameron Sunde and Amelia Parenteau.
General Links That Relate:
- Theatre in Translation network: https://tintnet.org/index.html
- The Mercurian: A Theatrical Translation Review: https://the-mercurian.com/
- American Theatre article by Samuel Buggeln on producing plays in translation
- American Theatre article on Sunde translating Jon Fosse
- Oslo Elsewhere archival site (2003-2012): https://www.osloelsewhere.org/
More Info and Links on the Participants (in the order in which they appear):
- Sarah Cameron Sunde (she/her), Interdisciplinary Artist & Director: https://www.sarahcameronsunde.com/
- Natalia Payne (she/her), Actor: https://www.nataliapayne.com/
- Anna Gutto (she/her), Director, Screenwriter: https://www.annagutto.com/
- Marie-Louise Miller (she/her), Director, Dramaturg, Organizer
- Neil Blackadder (he/him), Translator from German and French, emeritus professor of Theatre, Knox College: https://neilblackadder.com/index.html
- Samuel Buggeln (he/him), Artistic Director, Cherry Arts, Ithaca, NY: https://thecherry.org/
- Amelia Parenteau (she/her) translator and writer: https://www.amelia-parenteau.com/
- Patrizia Acerra (she/her) Executive Director, International Voices Project, Chicago: https://www.ivpchicago.org/
- Cobina Gillitt (she/her), Translator from Indonesian, Dramaturg, Educator, Scholar: https://cobinagillitt.com
- Philip Boehm (he/him), Artistic Director, Upstream Theater, St. Louis, and translator: https://www.upstreamtheater.org/
- Taylor Barrett Gaines (she/her), French translator / Cultural Attachée, Québec Government Office in New York: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-barrett-gaines-ba43b098/
- Adam Versényi (he/him), Professor of Dramaturgy, UNC-Chapel Hill/Senior Dramaturg, PlayMakers Repertory Company: https://drama.unc.edu/faculty_member/adam-n-versenyi/
- Andrea Thome (she/her), playwright and translator, Assistant Professor of Theatre & Performance, SUNY Purchase: https://www.purchase.edu/live/profiles/1977-andrea-thome
- Managing behind the scenes:DZ Maciel (she/her/they/them), Choreographer, Visual Artist: https://www.dzmaciel.com/
About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected] or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal. View the video archive of past events.
Comments
The article is just the start of the conversation—we want to know what you think about this subject, too! HowlRound is a space for knowledge-sharing, and we welcome spirited, thoughtful, and on-topic dialogue. Find our full comments policy here
Thank you.
I've long sought out theater-in-translation, and I am thankful that in my years as a critic, my editors have often indulged my curiosity.
Washington, DC-based Scena Theatre has presented three of Fosse's works, including the U.S. premieres of Sea and Strong Wind, both of which I have had the opportunity to review, and perhaps present the argument to a general audience that they should see them!