SATC Presents THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY 11/7

Scandinavian American Theater Company presents the US premier of "THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY" by Jacob Hirdwall in a staged reading on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 8PM.

Pre-reception starts at 7:30PM
Location: Scandinavia House, Park Avenue, between 37th and 38th Streets.
The event is FREE and open to the public.

The young scientist Tekla has been hired by the Icelandic company Genome. She quickly advances the hierarchy of the company and is faced with a patient suffering from a very strange disease: a person that genetically looks like no one else in the world...

What would happen if scientists cracked the code to prolonging life? Who should be in power of such technology? And what implications would "eternal life" have on society from an economical, religious and political perspective?

These are the questions raised in "The Undiscovered Country," a new play set in Iceland and inspired by true events, by Swedish playwright Jacob Hirdwall of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. "The Undiscovered Country" was first staged at The National Theatre in Reykjavik in 2007.

Background to the play:
Due to how isolated the country has been, Iceland is known to have "cleanest" gene pool in the world, making it ideal for genetic research. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Icelandic company Decode, supported by the Icelandic government, was allowed to amass information for a highly controversial database of over 700,000 Icelanders, living or dead, containing their medical records and genetic data for the purpose of research. The research was intended to help identify ‘disease' genes as well as to provide understanding of how life might be prolonged. Prompted by heavy national and international criticism for Decode's approach to the concepts of privacy and consent, a legal judgment from the Icelandic Supreme Court later killed off the project. Yet, research for a similar purpose continues around the world, and the questions of what such research might result in for mankind remain. While researching "The Undiscovered Country," Hirdwall traveled extensively to Iceland to visit Decode, giving him a unique insight into their work and the genetic research project.

About the playwright:
Jacob Hirdwall (b. 1967) is a Swedish playwright, dramaturge, translator, director, and culture journalist. He has been associated with more than 80 productions for film, radio, television and theatre. He currently lives in Stockholm, where he, since 10 years, works as dramaturge at The Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden. Hirdwall's plays include: "The Bedmate", Aarhus Teater, Denmark 2002, "Self-portraits of Unknown Men", Swedish Radio 2003, "Paralysie Gènèrale!" (a monologue about Strindberg), The Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden 2004, "The Sparrow of Minsk", commissioned by The Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden in 2006, " The Undiscovered Country", opened at The National Theatre in Reykjavik, Iceland on the 20th of January 2007, "The Invisible", performed on various venues in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland 2007, "The Measure Theory", Stockholm Stadsteater 2010, also performed in Norway, "The Emperor Fukushima", The Royal Dramatic Theatre, 2011, and "The Gift of Sirimon", which opens in Rosengaard in Malmö, spring 2012. Agent: Thomas Egedal, Nordiska Publishers.

About SATC:
Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC) is a New York-based theater company with a mission to promote the new generation of Scandinavian playwrights. It was founded in 2009 by Albert Bendix, Lisa Bearkpark, Anette Norgaard, Vigdis Hentze-Olsen, Sebastian Nyman Agdur and Henning Hegland. Recent projects include "The Fundamentalist," by Juha Jokela (Finland) which opened to rave reviews and was chosen as one of three highlights of FringeNYC 2011 by The New Yorker, and "Home Sweet Home," by Andreas Garfield (Denmark) at 9th Space, PS122 and the Chekhov InterNational Theatre Festival. Next up is a production of "Pinocchio's Ashes," by Jokum Rohde (Denmark) directed by Henning Hegland. For more information, visit www.satcnyc.org

In the SATC Contemporary Reading Series, five current Nordic playwrights are presented annually. The reading series is co-presented by Scandinavia House as well as the Consulate Generals of Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in New York and the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York. The reading series is also supported by Nordiska Publishers.

FREE: November 7th, SATC Contemporary Scandinavian Reading Series 2.2 presenting ICELAND & SWEDEN with Jacob Hirdwall's play "THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY". 8 pm at Scandinavia House (58 Park Ave NYC) - Pre-reception at 7.30 pm with free wine and soda.

NOV. 29th at Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo - one night only - SATC is co-producing BLIND LOVE: a live-music-dance-collaboration between the band COPAL and SATC-founder from the Faroe Islands VIGDIS HENTZE OLSEN.

www.satcnyc.org

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