NEW NORTH

NEW NORTH is a fresh theater showcase dedicated to contemporary Nordic drama and emerging Estonian directors. 

Four less experienced directors will have the opportunity to showcase their creative thinking in an experimental format, working with fresh Nordic plays that have not yet been published in Estonian. Over the course of one week and with a handful of rehearsals, each director will prepare a roughly 30-minute excerpt, all of which will be publicly performed on 12th September. Each excerpt will be followed by a discussion.

The play excerpts will be performed in Estonian with simultaneous interpretation into English. The subsequent discussions will take place in English with simultaneous interpretation into Estonian.

In a tight competition, four young directors were selected:

1. Oskar Viirand
Oskar chose to direct Arda Salaniemi's play "Sarvivälke" / "Hornblende" (2021, Finland).

2. Roosmarii Sarapuu
Roosmarii chose to direct Malmfrid Hovsveen Hallum's play "Jeg skal finne deg" / "I Will Find You" (2025, Norway).

3. Maria Reinup
Maria chose to direct Birnir Jón Sigur∂sson's play "Sýslumaður dauðans" / "The Death Department" (2025, Iceland).

4. Kaarel Väli
Kaarel chose to direct Manda Stenström's play "Versioner" / "Versions" (2019, Sweden).

On the one hand, this serves as a springboard for emerging directors, and on the other, it introduces texts and authors previously unknown to the Estonian theater scene. The core of the project is the discovery of new possibilities and new directions.

The plays are chosen with Nordic partners: Dramattikens Hus (Norway), TINFO (Finland), Icelandic Performing Arts Centre (Iceland) and Dramatikerförbundet (Sweden).

The project is organized in collaboration with the Estonian Theatre Agency and the Estonian Directors' and Dramaturgs' Union. Its broader goal is to strengthen dramaturgical and artistic collaboration between Estonia and the Nordic countries.