In January, Jon Erik was awarded both writing support and dramaturgy assistance from The Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting (Dramatikkens Hus) for the development of the stage text TOGETHER, APART (org. title: SAMMEN, HVER FOR OSS).
TOGETHER, APART is a story about two individuals. Two people on different planets, at least mentally. Both have experienced loss, but they are not at the same stage in the grieving process. The conversation that unfolds is marked by misunderstandings and a desperate attempt to make the other understand. In small increments, we get to know the two, what they have been through, and who they are and can become for each other.
Grief affects us all differently. The same event can be experienced differently and trigger very different responses in each of us. Grief is often described as a process, presented with various stages. The divisions between these stages can be quite significant, rendering the person almost unrecognizable in the transition between them. Grief hits us all so differently. And the process that follows is never the same. When two people experience the same thing, their processes seldom, if ever, account for each other, and the different mental states can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.
TOGETHER, APART explores such a grieving process. Two people in their own process after a loss. Two people in different stages of that process. The dialogue that unfolds is uncomfortable, stuttering, and at times brutal. They can’t quite understand each other. Not entirely. And they have very different needs. Gradually, they move towards their next stage in the grieving process, but to no avail. They are still in their own stages and are not yet able to meet in the grief they carry. The stage text will not attempt to provide any definitive answers about right or wrong but rather open a window into the destinies of two individuals. Two people handling what they face in different ways, which, in turn, opens the experience to a larger audience in terms of recognition. It is hoped that this insight will contribute to reflection on oneself and one’s own life, how one deals with what one encounters, perhaps especially in times of crisis, but also a reflection on the lives of others and what those around us may be facing. Regardless of how much empathy or sympathy we feel, we will never fully know how others experience what they are going through. Even when the situation for you and the other is almost identical.
The Norwegian Centre for New Playwriting has the national responsibility for the development of new Norwegian and Sami drama and is the field’s development arena and rehearsal space. Furthermore, they aim to develop artistic practices, contribute to raising the quality of newly written Norwegian drama, and work to ensure that the texts are produced and reach a larger audience. In addition to funds for the writing itself, Jon Erik was granted time with dramaturg Wael Jaohar. Together, they have thoroughly gone through the text multiple times, while Jon Erik has made revisions along the way.