X Europe Prize "New Theatrical Realities"
For the second year in a row, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, participates in the organization of the Europe Theatre Prize, which will take place in Thessaloniki at the facilities of the NTNG, from April 10-13 2008.
The Europe Theatre Prize began in 1986, as a pilot program of the European Committee. It is held on an annual basis by the Europe Theatre Prize company, which has been recognized by the European Parliament as a "European cultural interest organization"; it collaborates with, and is supported by the Union of European Theatres, the European Theatre Convention, the International Association of Theatre Critics, the Instituto Internacional del Teatro del Mediterraneo, the International Theatre Institute of UNESCO and the Union of European Festivals. The prize is awarded to individuals or theatrical institutions whose work has contributed to the mutual understanding and collaboration between people throughout the world.
Besides being an honorary distinction, the award "New Theatrical Realities" which was added following the third organization, aims to encourage new artistic trends and initiatives in the European theatre scene.
In April 2008, the XII Europe Theatre Prize will be awarded to French director Patrice Chéreau, who has been honored in the past with many distinctions and awards, while the X Europe Prize "New Theatrical Realities"», which presents the work of new avant garde artists will be presented ex-aequo to: German choreographer Sasha Waltz, founder of the group Sasha Waltz and Guests, which invigorated the development of contemporary dance, Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski, one of the leading directors from Poland and the subversive direction group from Germany Rimini Protokoll, which experiments with theatrical conventions. Special mention will be given to the Belarus Free Theatre, a theatre group committed to "the opposition against the oppression of Belarussian Government", as the theatre's founder, Nikolai Khalezin says. In the framework of the Retours section, which presents previously awarded works of the Europe Theatre Prize, Oskaras Korsunovas, who was awarded in the VIII Europe Prize "New Theatrical Realities", will present William Shakespeare's Hamlet as a ‘work in progress’.
XII EUROPE THEATRE PRIZE PROGRAM
The Europe Theatre Prize is organized in the framework of:
"NTNG BUILDING FACILITIES – CULTURAL EGNATIA"
3RD COMMUNITY SUPPORT FRAMEWORK "CULTURE 2000-2006"
AXIS Development of modern culture, MEASURE 2.1
CO-FINANCED 75% BY THE ERDF and 25% BY NATIONAL FUNDS.