Curriculum vitæ
Sveinn Einarsson, b. 1934.
Studies
Graduated with a fil. kand. in literature (with honors), theatre and philosphy from the University of Stockholm 1958.. Bursary of the French Government at the Sorbonne 1958-59; further studies in Paris, Oxford, Reykjavík and Copenhagen; fil. lic. with honors (berömlig, theatre research),1964 (Stockholm). Dr phil.(University of Iceland) 2006.
Posts occupied
Artistic director of the Reykjavík Theatre Company 1963-72.
Principal and teacher of the RTC School 1963-69.
Artistic director and General manager of the National Theatre of Iceland 1972-83..
Councellor for the Ministry of Culture 1983-89, 1993-5, 1998-2004.
Head of Programme Production , Icelandic State Television 1989-93.
Three years grant as state artist 1995-8.
Journalist in summers 1955-7.
Program editor on the State Radio 1959-61.
Ad hoc director for The Culture House in Reykjavík, 2002.
Director of the Reykjavík Arts Festival 1998-2001.
Elected member of the Ececutive Council of UNESCO 2001-2005.
Other appointments
Member of Faculty at the University of Iceland off and on 1970-1990.
Lecturer at Universities and conferences: Copenhagen, Lund, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Trondheim, Tampere, Edinburgh, Minneapolis, Berkeley, Paris, Caen, Prague, Delphi, Montreal, Monaco.
Head of the Board, Icelandic State Theatre School, 1984-93.
President of the Icelandic Theatre Union-ITI 1972-89.
President of the Icelandic Playwright's Union 1985-9.
Organizing Committee of the Reykjavík Arts Festival 1969-75,1979-81; vice-chairman from 1996 2001.
Chairman of several governmental commissions on the arts and culture, especially in the field of theatre, dance and literature.
Member of an governmental expert group for future cultural prognosis 1984-6.
Co-founder of the Icelandic Ballet Company 1973.
Pres. of the Board of The Icelandic Ballet 1992-6 and Ballet School 1992-97.
Vice-President International Theatre Institute (ITI) 1979-81 (mbr of board 1977-81)
Div. Nordic Culture Commissons, incl. RKK (Advisory Board for Culture of The Nordic Council ) 1973-77.
Vice-President Nordic Theatre Union 1976-82 (Board 1972-89).
Member Nordic Theatre Commisson 1977-82.
Founder of the Icelandic Theatre Union in 1973 and its first chairman 1973-89.
The Vasa Commission 1965-1974.
The Nordic Committee for Theatre Exchanges 1974-77.
The Nordic Music Theatre Commisson 1985-91.
Board of Association of Nordic Theatre Managers 1963-83.
CDCC (Council of Europe) 1986-90.
Pres. of the Poetry Group (Council of Europe) 1987-90.
Board Member of the European Culture Centre of Delphi 1990-96.
Committee of Culture, Council of Europe 1993-6.
Member of an expert group from the Council of Europe to evaluate cultural policies in Russa 1995-6.
President of the Icelandic National Commisssion for UNESCO from 1994-2006.
President of the Union of Icelandic Playwrights, 1984-88.
Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Icelandic Nordic Society 1994-1998.
Board of the Nordic Cultural Festival “ Sólstafir “, 1994-5.
Member of the board of the Swedish-Icelandic Society 1963-72; chairman 1984-87.
Chairman of the Board of the Swedish-Icelandic Cultural Exchange Fund 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, vice-chairman 1996,1998.2000, 2002, 2004.
Vice-board member of Amnesty International in Iceland for awhile.
Several preparing committees for Icelandic cultural participation in Festivals abroad, encluding Bergen 1990 (chairman) and Greenland.
Member of Comité mixte for cultural exchanges between France and Iceland 1989 and 1994.
Member of the Committee for The Nordic Council Prize in Literature 1985-90.
Member of the Commission for Film Funding 1986.
Chairman of the Board of the Association of Theatre Researchers in Iceland 1982-88.
Member of the board of the Swedish periodical Ord och Bild 1956-63.
Commissaire for the Icelandic Cultural Festival (De feu et glace) in France 2004.
Executive Director for Festivities on Poet Jónas Hallgrímsson´s 200th Birthday 2006-2008.
Directing
Has directed nearly 100 plays for the stage and television (staged readings included). These vary from Greek tragedies to modern plays, incl. many creations of new Icel. plays, Aiskylos, Sophocles, Moliere, Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Mrozek, Gombrowicz, Tardieu, Schéhadé, Buero Vallejo, Ghelderode, Matthías Jochumsson, Jóhann Sigurjónsson, Halldór Laxness, Jökull Jakobsson, Oddur Björnsson, Jónas Árnason, Árni Ibsen etc. Operas by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Atli Heimir Sveinsson (f.p.), Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson ( f.p.) and Udbye (f.p.). Has directed works in most Nordic countries, Bayreuth(vFestival der jungen Leuten), Toronto and London. Productions presented at festivals or on other occasions in the Nordic countries, Estonia, Germany, England, North and South-America and Asia (Seoul, Theatre of Nations).
Books
Author of seven stage plays plus several films and plays for the television and radio plays. Adaptations for the stage of three of Laxness' novels.
Author also of seven books on the theatre , incl. two volumes of the History of Icelandic Theatre. Also two children's books, poems , short stories, essays etc. Responsible for over 400 radio programs (theatre, music, poetry, travel, music and literature) and TV-work of diverse kind, including the first Icelandic TV-film. Translations of ca 20 plays into Icelandic, incl. Moliere, Ibsen, Strindberg, Obaldia and Dario Fo.
Distinctions
Clara Lachmann-Prize for Nordic Cultural Achievement, 1990.
Best Children´s Book of the Year,1985.
First Prize for short stories to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Iceland 1994, etc. Finnish White Rose,
Norwegian Royal Order of Merit,
Swedish Nordstjärnan (kavalier),
Ordre des Arts et Lettres.
Honorary Member of Reykjavík Theatre Company and The Icelandic Union of Theatre Directors.
The Jón Sigurðsson Prize (1997).
Honorary Member of the Nordic Theatre Union 2008.
DVPrize for best Directing (Hamlet) 2003)
Gríman (The Mask, in Gold), the Icelandic Theatre Award, for Life-long Achievement in Theatre the first time it was awarded, in 2004.
Honorary Member of the Nordic Theatre Union 2008.
The Letterstedt Prize 2010.