Maria Aberg's PROJEKT EUROPA Announced As Resident Company

The Marlowe in Canterbury has announced that Maria Aberg's PROJEKT EUROPA will become a Resident Company at the theatre, creating and premiering work in the heart of Kent.

The residency brings one of the UK's brightest directing talents and her company to Kent and is part of The Marlowe's commitment to producing theatre in the region.

Led by Artistic Director Maria Aberg, PROJEKT EUROPA is an international theatre company that will make radical and generous work by migrant theatre makers for local and global audiences. The company's work is co-created with artists and audiences in different locations across the world, giving a global outlook that shares international experiences to make theatre that is surprising, multilingual and hopeful.

Born and raised in the south of Sweden, Maria Aberg started her career at The Royal Court Theatre. Since then, she has directed shows at The National Theatre, the Royal Exchange, Donmar Warehouse, Southwark Playhouse and Theatre Royal Bath, amongst others.

Maria has also directed work at the Royal Shakespeare Company, including commissions for the RSC's Complete Works and World Shakespeare Festivals, where she first encountered The Marlowe's Chief Executive, Deborah Shaw, who directed both festivals whilst Associate Director at the RSC.

Internationally, Maria has worked at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, Malmö Stadsteater and at the Staatstheater Mainz. Maria is also an Artistic Associate at Mountview and an Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The residency will begin in the spring, with PROJEKT EUROPA working in The Marlowe Studio to create and pilot work that will then be shared with audiences later in the year. Conversations with The Marlowe's audience and communities will form part of its development, with the company wanting to hear different stories and perspectives from people in the region. The rehearsal room will also be opened up to the community as the work is being made, giving everyone the chance to share in its creation.

Maria Aberg, Artistic Director of PROJEKT EUROPA said:

"We are thrilled to take up the position as Resident Company at The Marlowe. From our base in Kent - the UK county nearest to Europe - we will originate and produce our work.

We are going to be making theatre across both spaces at The Marlowe - theatre that is bold, inventive and hopeful. We'll be creating contemporary work that is playful and experimental and that sometimes takes place in more than one language.

We will collaborate with the most exciting migrant and international theatre makers, to create theatre with lived international experience at its heart. At a time when travelling is still tricky and our need for connection is greater than ever, we will bring the world right to your doorstep - and we could not be more excited."

Deborah Shaw, Chief Executive at The Marlowe Theatre, said:

"I'm thrilled to be welcoming Maria and PROJEKT EUROPA to The Marlowe as a Resident Company. So much of the relationship between the UK and Europe has been played out in the landscape of Kent - from the Romans to Brexit - and it feels really important to give artists and audiences time and space to examine that relationship. We look forward to supporting and learning from Maria's ground-breaking approach to theatre-making. And we're beyond excited to be her company's home base from which brilliant, must-see theatre will be launched to festivals and partners worldwide'.

Rebekah Jones, Executive Producer at The Marlowe Theatre, said:

"It's great to have Maria and PROJEKT EUROPA at The Marlowe. Giving established artists a regional home supports our artistic ambitions and provides great role models for the talent pipeline in our region. I also am thrilled to be supporting such a talented female director to bring new work to our stages in the years to come".

PROJEKT EUROPA will be the first contemporary theatre company in residence, joining Glyndebourne Opera, The Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Matthew Bourne's New Adventures as Resident Companies at The Marlowe.

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