Menningarfélagið Tjarnarbíó (Tjarnarbio Theatre)
Non-governmental organization
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Description
Tjarnarbio Theatre is a small 180 seat black box theatre located in the center of Reykjavik, Iceland, widely known as the home of the independent performing arts in Iceland. Tjarnarbio is not a production house but rather a hosting venue that mainly supports independent performing arts. We co-produce all kinds of performances as well as host other events.
There are 6 steady employees at Tjarnarbio: director, marketing manager, technical director, a stage manager and a bar manager, as well as a lot of part time employees that manage ticket sales and the bar. On a yearly basis we co-produce up to 10 shows and host performing arts festivals. The venue is owned and supported by Reykjavík City and managed by the Association of Independent Theatres in Iceland. Tjarnarbio serves both the artists and the audience with integrity, and as an institution we pride ourselves on helping artists realize their dreams.
Tjarnarbios vision is to become the main platform for innovation in Icelandic performing arts, to become the leading force in Iceland in international collaboration for the performing arts and to become an information hub for the performing arts in Iceland.
The venue and production
Our facilities consist of a 9 x 11 m black box stage, a theatre café/bar, a small rehearsal room and 2 meeting spaces. A co-production/residency at Tjarnarbio can receive 1-4 weeks of rehearsal time on stage (as well as free use of the rehearsal room and meeting spaces) with the commitment of showing at least 5 shows over a period of few weeks. Lighting and sound equipment is available, but we offer minimal tech assistance. We do however offer marketing support. Our general ticket sale split is 35% / 65% with 65% going to the artists. Our selection process for collaborations/residencies starts with an open call that is announced in January and concludes in late February/early March. The director and board of Tjarnarbio score application based on a transparent scoring system that can be found on our website www.tjarnarbio.is, and the selection for the following year is announced in late March/early April.