PRESS RELEASE (eng) 2018-02-02
Images: 23 Ministers of Culture (copyright, each theatre) collage Teater Halland.
Political satire by Harold Pinter to be performed simultaneously around Sweden at 23 theatresOn 10 February 2018 at 12 noon, a newly appointed Minister of Culture and a journalist will meet on a square, in a shopping centre or in a library. At that time, a nationwide performance of Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter’s Press Conference (2002) will take place in several (23) Swedish towns and cities. From the north to the south, residents will be able to experience a horrifying scenario and a discussion on the significance of art in a democracy. The Press Conference is a project initiated by Teater Halland that will be performed by more than half of Sweden’s regional and county theatres, along with a number of centres and institutes for the dramatic arts. In Press Conference the question of the role of art in an open society is highlighted. All over the country Swedish residents will have the chance to experience top-quality drama, free of charge, with the opportunity to discuss the question: do we need independent art? - We talk on a daily basis in the theatre about issues concerning art and democracy. The performance of Press Conference in squares all over Sweden is an attempt to include more people in that conversation,” says Anna Sjövall, CEO and Artistic Director at Teater Halland, as well as director and project initiator. In Nobel Prize winner Pinter’s satire, we meet a Minister of Culture in a totalitarian state who presents their picture of the purpose of culture – namely that it is all about controlling people’s thoughts and feelings. The Minister sees no major difference in comparison to their previous job as head of the security service. - For me, collaboration between the various institutes of dramatic arts is an exciting artistic experiment where different actors play the same role at exactly the same time, and where the audience play an important part in the subsequent discussion. she concludes.
Anna Sjövall, konstnärlig ledare och VD Teater Halland. Initiativtagare till det nationella scenkonstprojektet Presskonferensen. Foto: Malin Arnesson. BACKGROUNDPress Conference is a nationwide project. County and regional theatres and institutional theatres all over Sweden have been invited to take part. The initiator of the project is Anna Sjövall, CEO and Artistic Director at Teater Halland. Press Conference will be performed on Saturday 10 February at 12 noon in following cities: Download press material: http://www.presskonferensen.nu/press-media/ Press photosGet press photos Project manager and press contact:Maria Stålhammar - +46 (0)340-54 22 84 Lena Sandersson, Communications and Marketing Director at Teater Halland, |
