Suzanne Osten is the artistic Director of Unga Klara, the Stockholm City Theatre. She has directed and created most of the theatre's productions for children and young people, which has elevated the status of children's theatre both nationally and internationally.
Suzanne Carlota Osten was born 1944 on Stora Essingen in Stockholm. Her parents were film critic Gerd Osten, born 1914 och carpenter Carl Otto Osten, born 1913. Suzanne Osten has one sister Pia Beckström, born 1936. Suzanne graduated from high school from Viggbyholmsskolan in 1963 and went on to study art, literature and history at Lund University. She has one daugher, Hanna Hartleb, born 1965.
Suzanne Osten directed theatre in the free group Fickteatern during 1967-71, then went on to Stockholms City Theater in 1971.
In 1975 Suzanne Osten was asked to form a special division for children and young people within the Stockholm City Theatre. She has since then guided the group through completely unique and revolutionary team efforts, such as the children's tragedies "Medea's Children" (Medeas barn) from 1975 and "Hitler's Childhood" (Hitlers barndom) from 1984. (The latter is based on a chapter from a book by psychoanalyst Alice Miller.)
Suzanne Osten was installed as a professor of directing at the Dramatic Institute in Stockholm 1995.
Suzanne Osten has received many prizes through the years, here are the latest:
2002 Swedish PEN-clubs Berns Prize. Justification for Suzanne’s prize was "with her independent drama and for her visible indefatigable, always fresh ideas, and committed artistic leadership of the children and young peoples theatre Unga Klara,, the contribution to developing Stockholms.cultural life as an important unquestionable and exciting activity that inspires people of all ages. With her authorship and activities with Unga Klara she has gifted us the description where Stockholm can take its rightful and central place on the cultural world map."
2002 Assitej International Prize (ASSITEJ Honorary President Award) in Seoul, Korea.
2002 Expressens Theatre prize
"For around three decades she has seen the highs and lows of the theatre, renewed and discovered art forms, as well as discussing taboos and dragging out skeletons from society’s cupboard. With The Most Important at Unga Klara she makes a large and happy artists party around the question of queer theory, and has aired out old dusty norms about theatre, sex and people."
2003 Natur och kulturs stora kulturpris
Motivering: "She has, through an original and investigative creativity, given the perspective of children, women and exposed significant place in the Swedish culture."
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