Founded in February by seasoned writer/director Per-Olav Sørensen (Nobel, Quicksand, The Heavy Water War), Oslo-based The Global Ensemble Drama (TGE Drama) is one of three companies - together with The Global Ensemble Agency and The Global Ensemble Theatre, part of the 100+ member creative collective The Global Ensemble.

Active in development and production of quality films, TV dramas and documentaries, TGE Drama works with global streamers, local broadcasters and distributors on content initiated in-house or co-produced. In the last seven months, the company’s artistic director Sørensen has added to his team Janne Hjeltnes (Rod Knock) as CEO/producer, and Ingrid Skagestad (production manager on For Life, Zombielars) as producer.

The latest addition is former founder of the literary agency IMMA Trude Kolaas, as Head of Global Content. “We are happy that Trude is on our team. We need to meet the flow of projects from our own talents as well as the global need for content,” commented Sørensen. “By making Trude Head of our Global Content, we hope to systemise the way we develop projects, the way we co-write and co-develop projects, finally how we make better transitions from writing and developing to actual production.”

Speaking to nordicfilmandtvnews.com, the versatile director who works in Swedish-Norwegian and English-language projects, is thrilled about TGE Drama’s fast expansion. “TGE Drama has had a wonderful start-up year and we are filling our slate for 2022-23 as we speak. We look forward to working on 4-5 new productions next year,” he said.

The first production to premiere December 3 is the TV2 Christmas series Julestjerna (The Christmas Star), created by Miriam Larsen, Joachim Skage and Julie Skaufel. The series follows eight artists who enter a singing competition. Each of the participants carries their secrets and stories, and when the stage lights go out, other challenges than winning become priorities. In the title roles are Odin Waage (Eyewitness) and Ameli Agbota (Valkyrien).

Two Netflix Originals created by TGE Drama will premiere in 2022:

• the film Royalteen based on Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen’s book ‘The Heir’. The modern Cinderella story about a King-to-be who falls for the girl next door, is co-directed by Sørensen and upcoming talent Emilie Beck (selected among our Nordic Talents to Watch 2020). The film is currently in post-production.
• an Untitled Christmas series, co-written by celebrated Norwegian author/screenwriter Lars Saabye Christensen, whose novel The Half Brother was turned into a hit series by Sørensen in 2013. The latter serves as director, as well as co-writer with Christensen and Jan Trygge Røyneland (The King’s Choice). Set in December 2022, the story features a group of people, stranded at Oslo airport, just 24h before Christmas. Some are there to welcome their loved ones, some to fly home to their families, and others want to fly away and escape Christmas. The series will be delivered at Christmas 2022.
  

Sørensen is also attached to the Netflix series The Playlist produced by Yellow Bird UK. The English and Swedish-language series is based on the book ‘Spotify Untold’ by journalists Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud. It’s is a behind-the-scenes story of how the young Swedish tech entrepreneur Daniel Ek and his financial partner Martin Lorentzon, built their start-up Spotify and turned it into a global music sensation.

In the title roles are Edvin Endre (A Class Apart, Blinded), Christian Hillborg (The Last Kingdom), Gizem Erdogan (Love & Anarchy, Caliphate) and Ulf Stenberg (Beartown).

The Netflix series is in the editing stage.

Read our earlier story on The Playlist: CLICK HERE.