The North Sea: A (Radio) Play in 3 Pints
NICK HEGREBERG
UK & NORWAY
Norwegian based writer, Nick Hegreberg was invited to undertake a residency in Gateshead and Newcastle UK, starting in August 2019. Working in collaboration with GIFT Festival in Gateshead, who hosted Nick’s residency and introduced him to the theatre community in the North East. He developed new work based on the historical connection between South Norway and the North East of England. Nick himself having grown up in Newcastle til the age of 7 has a strong connection with the area and is keen to use that experience to inspire a new monologue with the North Sea being a focal point Nick is keen to search for inspiring stories that connect these communities with both the sea and each other. “Being a direct result myself by a spark created somewhere between Norway and the UK, the North Sea feels a more personal project than usual. My mother is from South Shields and my father is from Stavanger, and as a young bairn I grew up along the coast of Northumberland before moving to Stavanger in 1980” - Nick Hegreberg
RESIDENCY
Nick Hegreberg travelled from Stavanger in Norway to Newcastle in the North East of England for his NATUR residency to explore his own personal connection between the two places and to further develop a play which is based on these ties . His residency was facilitated by local theatre producer Kate Craddock of Gift Theatre Festival and together they worked with local actors and directors to test out early drafts of the play Nick was developing as well as meeting local people, helping him to further explore his own personal history, routed in two places.
THE PROJECT
The North Sea: A (radio) play in three pints is a collaboration between Norwegian-based writer Nick Hegreberg and a stellar team of creatives from North East England.
Nick has described the play:
The North Sea is the story of a couple’s life long love affair as it unfolds in the very same pub through decades of shared pints. As the years wash through the pub, Paddy and Wendy fight their way through love, loss and life together. The whimsical North Sea is the play’s third character as it serves as an ever-unfaithful backdrop for their life together. The vast ocean becomes the physical entity that both brings them together and sends them apart. While life never stops throwing new waves at our couple, the play itself serves a frisky mix of genres for Paddy and Wendy to navigate through. The North Sea is an entertaining and touching take on the role of long term relationships in todays egocentric society. At the same time the play can be seen as a study of how geographic places characterise people and frame their lives.
A vivid performance unravelling a couple’s love affair - from first clumsy pub encounter to a magical meeting decades later, the play is performed by Brian Lonsdale and Karen Traynor, and directed by Northern Stage Associate Director Mark Calvert, with sound design by Nick John Williams. With Covid-19 bringing a halt to performance, The North Sea was adapted and realised for the digital space, visitors were able to download and listen to new episodes over each day of the festival.
SUPPORTED BY
Nick Hegreberg
Nick Hegreberg (b. 1972) is a Norwegian writer and educator. His debut as a screenwriter was the critically acclaimed feature film “Tough guys” (2013). The movie had a successful run at cinemas in Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands and Sweden, and participated at international film festivals, winning prizes along the way. In addition to writing, Nick also runs workshops on film, creativity and creative writing for kids and youth.
Nick is a member of the Writer’s Guild of Norway.