Dear all,

I would like to invite all of you with an interest in dramaturgy to the this years Kenneth Tynan Award Ceremony, organised by the dramaturgs network on the 28th of October. I will be hosting a panel discussion about dramaturgy in Germany and the UK, with Mischa Twitchin, Peter Boenisch, and Penny Black as panelists. Further details about the event below.

Best

Jens Peters


 
PRESS RELEASE
THE ONLY AWARD FOR DRAMATURGY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, ESTABLISHED BY THE DRAMATURGS’ NETWORK AND NAMED AFTER KENNETH TYNAN RETURNS TO SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE ON OCTOBER 28TH 2012.

The Dramaturgs’ Network is proud to present the Kenneth Tynan Award acknowledging excellence in the field of dramaturgy. It will be handed out on Sunday, 28th October at 6pm at Southwark Playhouse, as part of a day’s celebrations of dramaturgy.

Established in 2011 (as part of the Dramaturg’s Network’s 10th anniversary celebrations) this annual award celebrates one professional working in the field of theatre or dance whose dramaturgical work stands out and can inspire others. There are no other awards in the UK recognising this aspect of the performance making process and the thinking that goes into it.

The award is created to recognise the work of a profession that has been instrumental to the success of British theatre: the dramaturg, or literary manager.  

The award is named after Kenneth Tynan (1927 – 1980), who became the first literary manager/dramaturg in the United Kingdom. He was literary manager for Laurence Olivier’s led National Theatre between 1963 – 1974.

Tracy Tynan, award-winning costume designer, daughter of Kenneth Tynan says: "The Tynan family is delighted to have this award named after our late father, Kenneth Tynan. We wish the Dramaturgs’ Network much success in their efforts to raise the awareness of the role played by dramaturgs in theatre today. We know that he would be honoured to be associated with this excellent enterprise."

The inaugural award ceremony took place last year with the support of the Tynan family and a gift from the National Theatre. It was presented by Guardian critic Michael Billington to Lloyd Trott, academy dramaturg at RADA for his “lifetime achievement and service to dramaturgy”.

Michael Billington said: “All I can say is that this award could not be named after a better person, since he not only defined the job for future generations but expanded the frontiers of British theatre.” 

This year’s ceremony will be held on Sunday 28th October 3pm – 10.30 pm at Southwark Playhouse. The celebrations will begin with a d’n café, a discussion on German and British dramaturgy, panel members including Peter M. Boenisch (University of Surrey), Penny Black (award winning translator and dramaturg) and Mischa Twitchin (Shunt). It will be followed by the award ceremony (including the Dramaturgy Papers speeches) with a special message from Tom Stoppard and a party with live jazz. The evening will continue with a semi-staged reading of Nordost by Torsten Buchsteiner, performed by Company of Angels (dir: Adam Barnard) and will come to a close with an open forum discussion, where the audience is asked to be the dramaturgs of the show.

KENNETH TYNAN AWARD CEREMONY 2012
Date:  Sunday 28th October
Time: 3pm – 10.30pm
Venue: Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright Yard, London SE1 2TF
Tickets: £10 / £8 (concessions) - for the day
£5 – show only (8pm – 10.30pm) or £5 d’n café and ceremony only (3pm – 7.30pm)
Tickets are available online on the Dramaturgs’ Network’s website: www.dramaturgy.co.uk
and Southwark Playhouse’s website:  http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
or their Box Office: 020 7407 0234.
Notes for Editors:

KENNETH TYNAN: THE FIRST DRAMATURG IN BRITISH THEATRE

The award is named after Kenneth Tynan (1927 – 1980), who was the first literary manager/dramaturg in the United Kingdom.
In 1963, giving up his role as a critic for The Observer, Kenneth Tynan joined Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, as the theatre’s first literary manager. With this move the profession of the dramaturg was born in the United Kingdom.

Tynan worked as a literary manager for the National Theatre for a decade (1963 – 1974). Following the dictum that a national theatre should deliver "a spectrum of world theatre" Tynan focused on "'reviving classical drama, introducing foreign plays, presenting new plays, looking after recent plays of merit which otherwise might rust in oblivion." (quote from Tom Stoppard) 

He worked tirelessly in the rehearsal room, advised on programming, contributed to the development of new plays (Stoppard’s Jumpers for instance).  He pushed Olivier into more adventurous selections, and persuaded him to play the title role in Shakespeare’s Othello (something the actor had always been reluctant to do, yet the role later earned him great success). Tynan recognized the importance of clearly communicating the theatre’s artistic vision to the outside world. He played a huge role in “destroying the old system of censorship, formal and informal” as well as breaking down linguistic inhibitions on the stage and in print”. His work was central to the high reputation of the National Theatre.

Tynan's work as a dramaturg was invaluable, and as such, he made an immeasurable contribution to British theatre.

THE KENNETH TYNAN AWARD
In 2011, commemorating its tenth anniversary, the Dramaturg’s Network established a new award, recognising excellence in the field of dramaturgy. This annual award, which will be presented for the second time at 6pm on 28th October 2012, recognises those professionals whose dramaturgical work has led to great achievements in theatre and/or dance.  This includes, but is not limited to people who have:
•	Discovered new talent or noteworthy writing.
•	Helped a director to develop, fine tune and realise his/her concept.
•	Helped a company to shape a new production.
•	Matched the right play with the right translator.
•	Curated a great festival.
•	Helped raise the standard of theatre and/or dance in the United Kingdom. 

The award certificate (designed by Tamás Gádor) includes a seminal photo of Tynan (photography: Julian Lloyd) and his signature with a motto from Kenneth Tynan: “Rouse tempers, goad, lacerate and raise whirlwinds.”  

NORDOST BY TORSTEN BUCHSTEINER
23 October, 2002. The Dubrovka Theatre in the heart of Moscow is seized by Chechen rebels during a performance of the family musical ‘Nordost’. 850 audience members are held hostage. 
The rebels demand the removal of Russian forces from Chechnya and the end of the Second Chechen War.  The Russian Government does not negotiate with terrorists. 
Through the voices of three women – a mother, a medic, and a young Chechen rebel – Nordost places us at the fractured heart of an atrocity. This special presentation marks the tenth anniversary of the siege.

Torsten Buchsteiner is a German actor and playwright. Nordost was written in 2005, and was aired on WDR Cologne / NDR Hamburg radios before it saw its world premiere at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm. Since then the play has been translated into fourteen languages, and received many awards.

THE DRAMATURGS’ NETWORK
Established in 2001, the Dramaturgs Network is a volunteer arts organisation committed to developing dramaturgy and supporting practitioners’ development in the field in the UK, and as such we are the only organisation solely dedicated to this. In our 11 years we have built relationships with many different theatres and arts organisations as well as the Arts Council. For information about the d’n and our regular events, visit our website www.dramaturgy.co.uk

COMPANY OF ANGELS is at the cutting edge of new work for and about young people, in theatre and other media. For eleven years the company has toured groundbreaking plays to young people nationally and internationally. Meanwhile, through a range of research projects and development schemes, the company explores and documents new ideas, encourages the next generation of theatre makers and directly engages young people, including ‘hard-to-reach’ groups both within and outside school settings. The company is strongly influenced by European theatre practice, and is especially interested in work that revolves around advocacy and social change.

MORE INFORMATION
For more information about The Kenneth Tynan Award, please contact 
Katalin Trencsényi: [log in to unmask]
For more information about the Dramaturgs’ Network, its work and events, or how to join the network, please visit our website at www.dramaturgy.co.uk or find us on Facebook.
For more information on Kenneth Tynan, please visit the NT’s website: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/8843/history-of-the-nt/kenneth-tynan.html
To secure your complimentary press ticket for the award ceremony, please contact Amanda Fromell: [log in to unmask]