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New Work in Progress: Fredericia Teater

Søren Møller, the creative producer at Fredericia Teater in Denmark, has been bringing NAMT Festival shows to Europe for innovative productions. This month, we reached out to him to learn more about the theatre’s history, and his process working with new musicals.

Fredericia has a long history of producing new musicals; how does this relate to the theatre’s mission, and what have been some of your favorite shows to produce?
Our mission is to produce new musicals only. All works are either developed here, co-developed or have never played Denmark before.

You’ve worked with a lot of NAMT Festival alumni on their shows, most of whom are American—how have you seen this international process at Fredericia influence the shows and writers? How do their perspectives influence Fredericia in turn?
I think that in the way we produce shows, we are helping these shows define their character, and helping them fulfill their potential. We are all about storytelling and implementing new technologies in doing that. Not to use technology, but to make it current, thrilling and exciting. Fredericia gains the rightful feel of being at the forefront of contemporary storytelling and being influenced and associated with the best writers in the world.

What does the typical developmental process at your theatre look like? What kind of support do you and your staff offer writers?
They are always tailored around the show. I sit down with the authors, and find out what they need, and we suggest specific ways to achieve this.

How do your audiences react to some of the more “American” shows you’ve presented? Do you ever rework material to fit the Danish audience?
I am naturally drawn towards shows that are more universal. And the translation always strives to make it resonate with the audiences here. Theatre always should. But it is case by case. And we have occasionally reset a show in Denmark for instance, but we would never want to change the intent of the show.

You’ve worked with three different NAMT Festival shows this year—what have you been most excited to share with your audiences?
All of them. Lizzie has done extremely well in London, Legendale–which we open on March 24–is a such a technical achievement, besides being an absolutely brilliant show. And The Trouble With Doug has been on my wanting to-do-list ever since I saw the reading at NAMT in 2010.

What will our members see if they plan a trip to visit your theatre in Denmark?
New musical theatre–where innovative design, storytelling, resonance and being current are all central values.

For more information about Fredericia Teater, visit the their website.

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