Forced Entertainment announce new award in memory of Huw Chadbourn

Forced Entertainment is excited to announce their new award that will recognise one artist (or company) a year over the next four years.

The award comprises £10,000 closely linked to a substantial package of mentoring and subsidiary support tailored each time to the needs and situation of the selected artist or group.

The recipient of the 2018 inaugural award is Glasgow-based artist Nic Green.

Financed by Forced Entertainment winning the International Ibsen Award in 2016, this scheme forms part of the company’s efforts to feed back some of their own success into the field, and to offer support to artists who are reinventing theatre and performance in new ways and for new audiences. In particular, the award is aimed at artists for whom there aren’t at present significant structures of support, recognition or development available.

The award is named after Huw Chadbourn, an inspirational friend and one of the founder members of Forced Entertainment, who died in July 2017.

Nic Green said: “I am completely thrilled and honoured to receive the first Forced Entertainment Award (in memory of Huw Chadbourn). I have been inspired and challenged by the work of Forced Entertainment over the years and it’s an absolute thrill to be invited into their world through this opportunity, and to consider the future of my own work as I learn more about theirs. I am absolutely delighted.”

The two step selection process involved the Forced Entertainment creative team collaborating with a range of professionals from the theatre and performance sector, with invited nominations from: Abby Butcher (Marlborough Theatre), Dr.Joy Kristin Kalu (Dramaturg at Sophiensaele, Berlin), Robert Pacitti (Pacitti Company/SPILL Festival) and Jackie Wylie (National Theatre Scotland). The selection panel considering the nominations involved Lois Keidan (Live Art Development Agency) and Tanuja Amarasuriya (Theatre Bristol).

Lois Keidan, Live Art Development Agency Director said: “As a fan of Forced Entertainment and friend of Huw Chadbourn, I was honoured to be on the selection panel for the inaugural Forced Entertainment Award and am delighted that the first recipient is the brilliant Nic Green. No-strings-attached-awards that offer artists working in challenging artistic territories the freedoms to experiment and roam are few and far between. That Forced Entertainment are instigating and resourcing this new Award from their own International Ibsen Award is testament to the generosity of spirit that drives so much of their work.”

Artistic Director, Tim Etchells comments of behalf of everyone at Forced Entertainment: “We are delighted that Nic has been selected as the first recipient of the award – we think her work is urgent, rigorous and has carved out a space all of its own. It will be a pleasure and privilege for Forced Entertainment to support Nic in the continuation of this, in this way. We have no doubt that the dialogue with Nic will also bring a lot to us as a company and we’re excited to develop a relationship with her through this opportunity.”