New Light Theater Project Presents NIGHT SINGS ITS SONGS By Jon Fosse
Running from February 7 to March 1, 2025 at Theatre Row Theatre 1.
Amidst the renewed interest in Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse's plays since his Nobel Prize for Literature in 2023, New Light Theater Project will present his "Night Sings Its Songs," translated by Sarah Cameron Sunde and directed by Jerry Heymann,R, 410 West 42nd Street.
"Night Sings Its Songs" by Jon Fosse (pronounced FAH-suh) is a haunting exploration of the unraveling relationships within a claustrophobic household. The play centers on a young couple trapped in an unspoken cycle of discontent. The Man, an unemployed writer, languishes in apathy while The Woman, overwhelmed by the demands of caring for their infant son, struggles to bridge the emotional void between them.
The play unfolds over the course of a single night, exposing the couple's buried frustrations and unfulfilled longings. Caught in a cycle of love, loss, and intense need, a young couple spiral out of a difficult relationship and into a nightmare. A rushed and awkward visit from the Young Man's parents spurs the Young Woman to go out for the evening, leaving the Young Man paralyzed by his need for her love. A routine questioning upon her return reveals she is having an affair--a challenge neither one of them is prepared to confront. The stark, poetic play examines the ways we fail to connect with those closest to us. Fosse's mastery of language and mood turns a seemingly mundane situation into a poignant study of existential dread and human fragility. His writing is known for its minimalism, rhythmic repetition, and poetic sensibility, all of which present significant challenges for a translator. Sunde's work manages to preserve these hallmarks while ensuring the play resonates in its new linguistic and cultural context.
"Night Sings Its Songs" premiered in 1997 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen and was met with critical acclaim for its bold exploration of alienation and emotional disconnection. Fosse's minimalist style has resonated deeply with Norwegian audiences, fitting well into the national theatrical tradition of existential and psychological drama. Productions in the UK, such as at London's Royal Court Theatre, polarized the critics but helped establish the play as a significant work of contemporary European theater. Its American premiere was in the Oslo Elsewhere festival in NYC in 2004, with critics noting its starkness and poetic rhythms but dividing on its impact. Since then, Fosse's work has since gained appreciation, especially among avant-garde and experimental theater practitioners. His Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023 has sparked re-assessment of his plays and prompted re-evaluations of his influence and significance.
The actors are Kyle Cameron as the Young Man, Susan Lynskey as the Young Woman, Steven Rattazi as the Young Man's Father, Jenny Allen as the Young Man's Mother and Kenneth King as Baste, the Young Woman's lover. Brian Dudkiewicz is Scenic Designer. Paul Hudson is Lighting Designer. Julia Squier is Costume Designer. Jennie Gorn is sound designer. Roger Lipson is Production Stage Manager. Tom Driscoll is Assistant Stage Manager.
Jon Fosse (Playwright) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." Fosse's work spans over seventy novels, poems, children's books, essays, and plays, which have been translated into over fifty languages. The most performed Norwegian playwright after Henrik Ibsen, Fosse is currently--with productions presented on over a thousand stages worldwide--one of the most performed contemporary playwrights globally. His minimalist and deeply introspective plays, with language often bordering on lyrical prose and poetry, have been noted to represent a modern continuation of the dramatic tradition established by Henrik Ibsen in the 19th century. Fosse's work has often been placed within the tradition of postdramatic theater, while several of his notable novels have been described as belonging to the style of post-modernist and avant-garde literature, due to their minimalism, lyricism and unorthodox use of syntax.
"Night Sings Its Songs" is considered one of his significant plays although it not yet as widely recognized as some of his other works, including "I Am the Wind," "The Guitar Man" and "A Summer's Day." It showcases his distinctive style, making it a strong representation of his artistic voice. It is a critical piece in understanding Fosse's thematic and stylistic contributions to modern theater.
Sarah Cameron Sunde (Translator) is an interdisciplinary environmental artist and director working at the intersection of performance, video and public art. She was recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to complete her series of nine performances and video artworks made on six continents, 36.5 /A Durational Performance with the Sea (2013-2022). In 2017, Sunde instigated and co-founded Works on Water (a triennial and artist-driven experimental organization dedicated to art that is made on/in/with bodies of water). She served as Deputy Artistic Director of New Georges for 16 years (2001-2017), co-founded the live art collective Lydian Junction (2011-2015) and theater company Oslo Elsewhere (2004-2012). She is known internationally as Jon Fosse's American director and theatrical translator (five U.S. premieres in New York and Pittsburgh).
Jerry Heymann (Director) is an award-winning director. He staged New Light Theater Project's sold-out productions of Margolin's "Imagining Madoff," including its initial run at 59E59 Theatres and its Off-Broadway extension on Theatre Row. Last season he directed New Light Theater Project's production of "This is not a time of peace" by Deb Margolin on Theatre Row. Selected other credits include "Call Me Charlie" with Danny DeVito (La MaMa), "My Daddy's Serious American Gift "(Tiffany Theatre, LA), "A Country For Old Men" (American Stage), "Three" (EST) and "Demeter's Lost Daughter" (St. Clement's Theatre). He earned a PhD and MFA from Carnegie-Mellon and is a member of SDC.
Producers of New Light Theater Project (https://www.newlighttheaterproject.com) are Sarah Norris and Michael Aguirre. Associate Producer is CarolineMack.
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