Tinderbox Dramaturg Hanna Slättne was awarded the prestigious Kenneth Tynan Award at a ceremony in London on Sunday evening.  The award was presented to her by playwright Mark Ravenhill and is a biannual event hosted by the Dramaturgs’ Network.

Penny Black, the president of The Dramaturgs’ Network in announcing the award quoted from some of the many nominations that had been received for Hanna:

“Hanna Slattne was nominated for her work with Tinderbox in Belfast. One playwright said: “I fully believe Northern Ireland’s theatre scene would be barren without her.” Another nominated her: “for her services to the theatre community of Northern Ireland’, there were special mention of the Tinderbox production of Lally The Scut and also her work on Reassembled Slightly Askew, an innovative sonic arts piece”

Gilly Campbell, Arts Development Officer for Drama and Dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, “Congratulations to Hanna on winning this prestigious award in recognition of the dedication and passion she has brought to her craft; I wish her continued success.”

Patrick J O’Reilly, Tinderbox Artistic Director said: “I am absolutely delighted for Hanna to receive this award. Her dedication, passion and expertise has been an invaluable source of inspiration for writers and artists in Northern Ireland. I am very fortunate to be able to share a rehearsal room with Hanna. The process is always ambitious, challenging and playful; the right ingredients for making new work.”

The Kenneth Tynan Award is the first to recognise excellence in the field of dramaturgy in the UK. It is named after Kenneth Tynan (1927 – 1980), the first dramaturg in the United Kingdom. Tynan joined Laurence Olivier at the newly established National Theatre where he worked between 1963 and 1974.

The award is given to one outstanding theatre (or dance) professional working in the field of dramaturgy, residing in the United Kingdom. Applicants for the award are nominated by the public and the winner is chosen by the Kenneth Tynan Award Panel.

The award is supported by the National Theatre, London and is sponsored by Oberon Books.

To find out more about the award visit The Dramaturgs’ Networks website