Drama in The Diamond III: Matador

The Royal Library and Danske Dramatikere searches in the past of Danish drama and challgenes iconic classicsn as they are subjected to a modern approach and presented together with a premiere of a completely newly written text – perhaps a classic of the future.

Lise Nørgaard's TV masterpiece Matador is one of the twentieth century's most significant dramatic works, making masterful use of the possibilities offered by the television series format to bring together stories and themes both large and small. In this third edition of Drama in the Diamond, actors will not only stage excerpts from the historic series, but also place it in the context of a new dramatic text written especially for the occasion.

The first part of the evening at The Black Diamond features an adaptation of fragments from Matador, performed in reading form by four of the country's most talented actors - including a central role by Josephine Park. Josephine Park most recently performed in The Hours the Royal Danish Theatre, and has made a name for herself in some of the biggest Danish films and TV series, such as The Nurse, the thriller series which premiered on Netflix.

The second part of the evening will feature a completely newly written dramatic text, in dialogue with the evening's classic work. And this evening it will be with a very special twist: Of course, it is no secret that Lise Nørgaard borrows more than only the title from the board game Monopoly, she also borrowes plots and themes. But what if the TV series instead drew inspiration from the board game Ludo? That is what we – with a time limit of 40 minutes – have asked Danske Dramatikere to arrange in a playwright competition.

Participants

Bringing masterpieces of the past to life

Drama in the Diamond is a scenic and sensuous celebration of Royal Danish Library's unique collection of performed drama – a collection that includes more than 18,000 plays. First, we processed Holberg's The Fidget, then it was Strindberg's The Father, and now it's the turn of Lise Nørgaard's famous and much-loved TV drama Matador, borrowing both the title and plot from the popular board game Monopoly.