This Saturday, the American dramatic artist Taylor Mac receives the International Ibsen Award at an award ceremony at the National Theatre of Norway. Afterwards, his show Holiday Sauce … Pandemic! will be streamed live from New York.
Taylor Mac (b. 1973) is an American playwright, actor, drag queen, producer, director, singer, and songwriter – and this year’s winner of the International Ibsen Award.
The New York-based dramatic artist has performed on stages all over the world, and Taylor Mac is the first American to receive the International Ibsen Award. This Saturday, he will be celebrated with a formal award ceremony at the National Theatre of Norway, hosted by TV presenter Anne Lindmo. The award will be presented by the Norwegian Minister of Culture and Equality, Abid Raja.
The award ceremony is followed by Mac’s explosive show Holiday Sauce … Pandemic! Both events are streamed live, from the National Theatre in Oslo and from New York respectively.
Groundbreaking
– Taylor Mac is a groundbreaking dramatic artist and playwrigth. An artist who in a spectacular fashion succeeds in offering other, richer perspectives of the times we live in and what it means to be human, says Ingrid Lorentzen, head of the award committee.
Mac’s shows are inspired by everything from commedia dell’arte, Greek drama, drag, and modern musical theatre. His mode of expression is extravagant and maximalist, with bizarre and grand costumes, where the grotesque and the beatiful go hand in hand – often directly addressing the audience.
A game changer
– In the selection process, we have wished to honour a game changer, someone who opens our eyes to what the theatre can be. In Taylor Mac, we have found a winner who looks beyond himself, a uniting force with a burning commitment to equality and community, Lorentsen says.
The specially made digital show Holiday Sauce … Pandemic! mixes music, film, burlesque, and extravagance, providing an entirely new framework for familiar Christmas songs and a festive season not everyone loves equally. Taylor challenges the conventions of Christmas with creativity and imagination – reminding us of the collective power of our chosen families, which may be more important than ever.
The world’s greatest theatre award
The International Ibsen Award is founded by the Norwegian Department of Culture, and is awarded biannually. The award is for an individual, organisation, or institution within the arts that has made “an extraordinary effort in the spirit of Ibsen”. The winner is named by a committee consisting of seven members, and the award is a cash prize of NOK 2.5 million. Normally the award is presented during the International Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre of Norway, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year we will have a digital award ceremony – and a digital guest production.
Previous winners of the International Ibsen Award are Christoph Marthaler, Forced Entertainment, Peter Handke, Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine, Heiner Goebbels, and Jon Fosse.
Programme, Saturday 12th December
19.00 Central European Time/01.00 p.m. New York Time:
The ceremony is hosted by TV presenter Anne Lindmo, with a performance by musician Nils Bech. Minister of Culture and Equality Abid Raja will present the award to Taylor Mac, who will give a personal acceptance speech. The event will be streamed, and can be watched free of charge.
20.00 Central European Time/02.00 p.m. New York Time:
The show Holiday Sauce … Pandemic! will be streamed live at 20.00. After the show, there will be a livestreamed meeting with Mac.
Read more about the show and ceremony. Both events can be watched here.
Read more about the International Ibsen Award and Taylor Mac.
Please contact us, if you want a free press code to the show.
