ABOUT US

Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC) is a non-profit theater company founded to provide Scandinavian perspectives through the new generation of Scandinavian playwrights and theater artists. We present contemporary plays and inventive takes on the classics from the Nordic region, which includes Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.

We are committed to strengthening the relationship between Scandinavia and the United States through collaborations and interdisciplinary artistic exchange that examine and challenge the cultural status quo.

Since our founding, we have presented 14 fully staged productions, 44 readings, and worked with more than 250 actors, 52 playwrights and 26 directors. Our work is regularly reviewed both in the U.S. press, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time Out, as well as in Scandinavian press.

We are the largest gateway for Nordic talent to present their work in the United States. Our close relationship with all the Nordic consulates and art councils offers invaluable support alongside the financial support provided by foundations, organizations and valued donors.

For more information on how to support us, click here

THE SATC TEAM

ALBERT BENDIX

Co-Artistic Director
albert@satcnyc.org

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Albert is a founding member of SATC. In 2009, he got the idea for SATC because he thought contemporary Scandinavian plays were underrepresented in the United States. Two years later SATC was awarded the American-Scandinavian Society’s Honorary Grant for its “very ambitious work to promote Scandinavian culture in New York”. Albert was born in Denmark in 1972. He is a graduate both from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen and from William Esper Studio in New York. Albert works as an actor and theater producer both in Scandinavia and the United States with his home base in New York since 2006.

Henning Hegland

Co-Artistic Director
henning@satcnyc.org

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Henning is a founding member of SATC. He has worked as a director and performer in the UK and across the US since 1997. His work ranges from devising new performances, to opera, to re-contextualizing classic masterpieces. His is a recipient of a Wallenberg Grant, Kurt Weill Grant, Schubert Grant and has an M.A. in Devised Theatre from Dartington College of Arts and an M.F.A. in Directing from Columbia University.

Hilkka-Liisa Iivanainen

Associate Artistic Director
hili@satcnyc.org

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Hilkka-Liisa (Hili) Iivanainen is a stage director, writer, and theater curator from Helsinki, Finland. As the Associate Artistic Director for SATC, Hili’s primary interests are in curating and fostering the development of emerging artists, as well as feminism and intersectionality in the performing arts. As a stage director, Hili works with contemporary drama and performance, audio dramas, and pod casts. She has directed numerous productions by Scandinavian playwrights, co-written new plays, and adapted Nordic classics for contemporary audiences.

In 2017, Hili received a 5-year Artist Grant from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. She is also one of the artistic directors for Tampere Theatre Festival. Hili holds an MA in Directing from the Theatre Academy of Finland, and a BFA from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

CHRISTIANE SEIDEL

Producing Director
christiane@satcnyc.org

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Christiane Seidel joined SATC in 2015 as the company’s PR & Audience Manager. She loves being an advocate for the only theater bringing Scandinavian art to the US. Christiane herself is a combination of the two worlds: she was born in Texas and grew up mainly in Denmark and in Germany, where she graduated with a degree in Media Management before returning to the US to study and pursue her career in acting.

KWASI OSEI

Marketing Director
kwasi@satcnyc.org

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Kwasi Osei is from Denmark, but has worked for many years as a creative director in advertising, before pursuing a career in acting. He has appeared in projects directed by Oscar winner Sofia Coppola and BAFTA winner Joe Wright. His design work has been featured in numerous design magazines, such as Communication Arts, Graphis, AIGA, ADC and Publishers Weekly among others. At SATC he leads the creative development of the seasonal marketing and campaign initiatives.

ELLINOR DILORENZO

Media Director
ellinor@satcnyc.org

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Ellinor is an actor and media manager of SATC, which means she’s in charge of all video, photo, web and social/new media produced by SATC. With a bachelor in computer science, Ellinor is a big nerd and stays updated with the latest news from the tech world, and her skills expands from filming and video editing to web development and design. Originally from Sweden, Ellinor is a big fan of Scandinavian storytelling, specifically the rare, dark comedy that only people who see the sun for about 5 hours per year, can master. Other Scandinavian-American ventures include Nordic International Film Festival and Access New York. www.ellinordilorenzo.com

VANESSA JOHANSSON

Literary Director
vanessa@satcnyc.org

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As Literary Director of SATC, Vanessa is always on the lookout for compelling contemporary Scandinavian plays to bring to the New York theater scene. Born and raised in NYC to an American mother and Danish father, she is in a unique to position to straddle both cultures as an artistic associate of the company. Vanessa is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts; she acts in film & theater and has an extensive voice over resume.

IDA BIERING

Development & Literary Manager
ida@satcnyc.org

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Ida Biering is a dramaturg and the Literary Coordinator of SATC. She is also a coordinating member of the Development committee. Originally from Denmark, she came to NYC in 2010, after studying/working in theatre and film in Europe (Scandinavia, Austria, The Netherlands, U.K.) Ida previously worked with SATC on the U.S. Off-Broadway premiere of The Baroness: Isak Dinesen’s Final Affair and Playing The Queen, as part of the SATContemporary Reading Series. As a production dramaturg, her work has been seen around New York City at The Connelly Theater, The Kraine Theater, HERE Arts Center and Classic Stage Company, among others. Ida holds an MFA in Theatre (Dramaturgy/Script Development) from Columbia University.

JASON BECKMANN

Development & Intern Coordinator
jason@satcnyc.org

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Jason Beckmann is an actor/writer and part of the Development committee in SATC. Jason is responsible for finding and securing different resources to help realize the creative aspirations of SATC. Jason works hand in hand with Artistic Director Albert Bendix and Ida Biering to lay out the logistics of the season and implementing the steps necessary to achieving the the company’s vision. Jason recently received his B.F.A. in Acting from The University of the Arts and his studies abroad at The Moscow Art Theater.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LISA E. Laskardis

President

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Lisa E. Laskaridis, a national of Sweden and Greece, is the Head of Press and Communication at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations, with a particular focus on Sweden’s term on the United Nations Security Council 2017-2018. Lisa was the President of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) in New York for over four years (October 2013 – February 2018), and has extensive experience of promoting and highlighting Scandinavian culture in an international context.

Jens Brandt Nellegaard

Secretary

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Jens holds the position as Senior Commercial Advisor at the Consulate General of Denmark in New York. He is the initiator and leader of the SDG Financing Initiative at the Consulate, which engage Danish institutional investors around the financing of the SDGs. Prior to this position he worked for the Clinton Global Initiative, Clinton Foundation, where he was involved in renewable energy, sustainable cities and infrastructure from a financing perspective and authored an internal guiding white paper on the topic. Before moving to New York City, he was a Researcher covering financial services at the executive search company Amrop in Copenhagen.

Martin Trautmann

Treasurer

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Martin Trautmann is a partner in the Life Sciences practice of Navigant Consulting, a publicly traded consulting firm. In his role, Martin advises biotech and pharmaceutical companies on their business development needs and helps commercialize products.  Martin also serves on the board of directors of Network 20/20, a non-for-profit group that helps build in-depth understanding of foreign policy issues through briefings and field trips.

Annemette Andersen

Board Member

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Annemette Andersen, from Denmark. She has followed SATC since the beginning and performed in many readings over the years. A graduate from the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Washington DC. She has worked with the oldest repertory theatre in the US, Hedgerow Theatre, and as a longterm company member of Tim Robbins’ theatre company, The Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles. Recent international TV series include Danish network TV2’s “NORSKOV” (avail Amazon Prime) and Danish network DR1’s “FOLLOW THE MONEY”. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, UK equity, and DSF in Denmark. See more info at: www.annemetteandersen.com

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Lisa Bearpark (Sweden/USA)
Albert Bendix (Denmark)
Henning Hegland (Norway)
Anette Norgaard (Denmark)
Sebastian Nyman Agdur (Sweden/UK)
Jane Pejtersen (Denmark/USA)
Vigdis Hentze Olsen (The Faroe Islands)