Lars Norén is one of Sweden’s most produced living playwrights and the author of more than 50 plays. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Pilot Prize. Norén was also the Artistic Director of RiksDrama, Sweden’s national theater. Though often the cause of controversy, his plays are nonetheless appreciated and respected by critics and audiences alike. Like many European playwrights, Lars Norén has had his love/hate relationship with America. His earlier plays have been influenced by American writers such as Eugene O’Neill and Edward Albee. His plays touch on many of the same themes that American writers have wrestled with. Yet despite massive international acclaim, Lars Norén is practically unknown in the United States. War, in a translation by Marita Lindholm Gochman, will be directed by Swedish director Anders Cato and features the cast of Rosalyn Coleman, Ngozi Anyanwu, Flora Diaz, Laith Nakli, and Alok Tewari. War is set in a year of ethnic cleansing. A mother and her two daughters, their father missing and presumed dead, think only of survival. When the father returns unexpectedly, they must confront a world gone completely wrong. Through this simple family tale, Norén creates a powerful human statement that becomes, through the use of multi-ethnic cast, a history of genocide in our century. In conjunction with this production, a panel discussion addressing various issues related to genocide will be held at the New York University School of Law. Staged readings of other plays by Lars Norén, as well as film screenings at Scandinavia House, are also planned as part of this unique project. On February 13 and 20, there will be talkbacks with the cast after the show. The project is made possible by generous donations from Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Institute, the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, Coudert Foundation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation. Tickets are available on www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444 for performances between January 31 and March 2, Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. For group or organization reservations, use the code Noren1 for a 20% discount off the regular price of $40.For more information: www.rattlestick.orgImage: © Riksteatern, photo by Anna UIfstrand