This is a monthly bulletin informing you about theatre events, new drama and international projects in Finland, sent to you by the Finnish Theatre Information Centre (TINFO).
Some basic information of Finnish theatre life, and links to theatres, theatre organisations and festivals you can find from our website www.teatteri.org/english/index.html
In this issue:
Finnish theatre abroad
Finnish drama awards
Upcoming festivals
Viirus represents Finland in Manila
The 31st ITI (International Theatre Institute) World Congress will be held in the Philippines from 22 to 29 May 2006. During the congress 26 theatre productions from all over the world will perform in Manila, in the Cultural Centre of the Philippines.
The jury chose a Finnish theatre Viirus’ production No Return to be one of the productions. Viirus is a small Swedish-language theatre in Helsinki. No Return is based on Franz Kafka’s texts. It is an absurd comedy dramatized and directed by a world famous Lithuanian director Cezaris. Viirus will take No return to a tour in Sweden in May, too, and to Nordic Theatre Days in Copenhagen in July.
More information on ITI World congress at www.iti-worldwide.org
Information on Viirus www.viirus.fi
Finnish Drama Reading in Copenhagen
Finlands Culture Institute in Copenhagen in co-operation with TINFO presents Finnish Drama Reading in May 5-6, 2006 at Theatre Plan B. It is the biggest presentation of Finnish Drama ever in Denmark. The reading starts with a press conference: Tampere International Theatre Festival publishes this years’ program.
Six new Finnish plays will be presented at the reading with Danish actors and directors. The authors are Juha Jokela, Sirkku Peltola, Mika Myllyaho and Kari Hotakainen, and they all (besides Hotakainen) will also be present at the reading.
More information (in Finnish and in Danish) at www.finin.dk
Q-teatteri visits Norway
Q-teatteri, a Finnish theatre in Helsinki, is invited to Norway in April. Heidi Hoo ei ole enää täällä töissä ( Heidi Hoh arbeitet hier nicht mehr; Heidi Aitch doesn’t work here anymore) is a play of German playwright René Pollesch, directed by Mika Leskinen, and it will be played in BIT Teatergarasjen in Bergen.
The visit is produced by the Baltic Circle project. Since 1996 the Baltic Circle project has promoted intercultural exchange primarily in the Baltic Sea region. The project has resulted in three international theatre festivals in Helsinki, in 2000, 2003 and 2005. Q-teatteri is the main organizer of the Baltic Circle project.
BIT Teatergarasjen produces, co-produces and presents international and Norwegian contemporary art - theatre and dance, with specific emphasize on projects that stimulate international co-production and co-operations between different fields of art. BIT is the main producer and co-producer of international contemporary theatre and dance in Norway. BIT is one of four professional theatres in Bergen and the only one of its kind in Norway.
More on Q-teatteri www.q-teatteri.fi
Baltic Circle www.q-teatteri.fi/baltic_circle/index.html
BIT Teatergarasjen www.bit-teatergarasjen.no
A Finnish actor in USA – experiences of an immigrant
Finnish actor Miska Kajanus is the author and performer of a monodrama Happy Man, which is one of the two solo works consisting a play Greetings from Cloud 9. The other solo Jackpot! is written and played by an American actor Luis Sosa. Greetings from Cloud 9 got Best in Fringe nomination in Fringe Festival 2005 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The two solos look at the American experience through the prism of serendipity, sweat and hope. In Happy Man the American dream is seen through the eyes of one immigrant. How much are you willing to sacrifice to realize your dreams? Is the price worth it? Jackpot! trifles with the thought of winning in the lottery? Imagine, one day, finally having everything you’ve ever wanted and wished for? And then, imagine losing it all in an instant. And then….
Greetings from Cloud 9 is performed in the Dorie Theatre of the Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood in March, April and May
More information: www.luissosa.com
Tero Saarinen Company’s tour in North America a success
Dance group Tero Saarinen Company has finished its North American tour. The group toured the leading dance venues in Pittsburgh, Toronto, Ottawa and New York in March. The repertoire consisted of three individual choreographies, Westward Ho!, Wavelengths, and Hunt. The performance received praising critiques.
Tero Saarinen founded his own group, Company Toothpick, in 1996 as a canvas for his own choreographic work. In 2002 the company changed its name into Tero Saarinen Company. The repertoire of the company consists mainly of Saarinen's choreographies, but it also displays solos that have been created for him by other choreographers.
Tero Saarinen is also regarded as one of the most brilliant dancers of his generation. Several highly esteemed choreographers, such as Carolyn Carlson, Jorma Uotinen and Murray Louis, have either created or given him solos.
Information on the group and reviews can be found at www.terosaarinen.com
Nordic Theatre Days 2006 in Copenhagen
Nordic Theatre Union (NTU) unites the stage art communities of the Nordic region. NTU is the forum for maintaining and further developing the fruitful artistic and organisational exchanges that take place within Nordic performing arts. All Nordic countries are members of Nordic Theatre Union. The chairmanship changes between the countries for a two-year period. 2005 - 2006 Denmark holds the chairmanship, from 2007 on Finland will be in charge of the NTU.
Every second year the country holding chairmanship organizes Nordic Theatre Days. From 30th July to 4th August 2006 Nordic Theatre Days will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sight 'n' Vision is the banner headline of Copenhagen Theatre Days and Nordic Theatre Days 2006. At Sight ‘n’ Vision there are performances from different genres and different countries. The participating countries are Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Island, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Faroe Islands. The plays are either written recently or are well known plays which has been set up in new ways.
Viirus’ production No Return will be one the productions (see "Viirus represents Finland in Manila" in the beginning of this bulletin).
Sight 'n' Vision also has symposiums which are of interest for professionels. At the Moving Stage Lab 24 artists are working with Devised Theatre, which is a new creative method for developing and setting up a play. At the exhibition InSight set-ups from different time periods will show how scenography has developed through time. 31st of July the Nordic Drama Award is given to one of the five nominees. Finland’s nominee is Kari Hotakainen’s Punahukka. Theatre Days are also an opportunity to meet colleagues from the artistic trade unions from the Nordic and Baltic contries.
More about Nordic Theatre Union: www.nordictheatreunion.org
More about Nordic Theatre Days: www.udsynogfremsyn.dk
Illusionist Prize 2006
Finnish Theatre Information Centre has given out Illusionist Prize to property master Johanna Harjunpää, to stage hand, playwright Marja Davidsson and to director Kaija Viinikainen. Harjunpää works at the TTT Theatre in Tampere. Davidsson and Viinikainen are working together at the Kouvola Theatre.
According to the jury Johanna Harjunpää’s attitude to work is passionate and ambitious: for her there are no problems, only challenges. She is innovative, creative and endlessly curious, and with her own example she drives the whole working group to give its best.
Marja Davidsson has worked 17 years as a stage hand, and at the same time she has written short stories, poems and lyrics for a hobby. Director Kaija Viinikainen got interested in Davidsson’s texts, and together they carried out two successful plays in 2004 and 2006, which got good reception from the critics and the audience. By awarding Davidsson and Viinikainen the jury wants to encourage the creativity accumulated in the theatres.
Finnish Theatre Information Centre has established Illusionist Prize in 1998. The prize is given out every second year.
TTT-Theatre’s homepage http://www.ttt-teatteri.fi/ttt_english/
Kouvola Theatre’s homepage www.kouvolanteatteri.fi
State Prize for Theatre to Pirjo Valinen
The National Arts Council for Theatre has given out the State Prize for Theatre to costume designer Pirjo Valinen. Valinen has been working at Oulu City Theatre since 1975. Pirjo Valinen is known for her endless experiments of new materials and working methods in costume desingining. She is one of the most unique designers in the branch in Finland. Experiments with paper have become the distinguishing “brand” of Valinen. She has successfully designed entire theatre costumes of paper.
Pirjo Valinen’s costumes have been displayed in several exhibitions in Finland and abroad, and she has beed awarded in Prague Quadriennale. She also gives lectures and training in costume designing in universities.
The State Prize for Theatre, 15 000 euros, is given out annually by The National Arts Council for Theatre. The prize is awarded for a distinguished artistic achievement during the past three years, or for a long and meritorious artistic career.
Oulu City Theatre’s homepage
Arts Council of Finland
Erkki Reenpää Prize for Jukka-Pekka Pajunen
Otava Publishing Company has given out Erkki Reenpää Prize for translator Jukka-Pekka Pajunen. Pajunen has translated dozens of novels and plays from German to Finnish. According to jury Pajunen has a comprehensive proficiency in performing arts, which shows in his translations as a deep understanding of the rhythm, the musical substance, the nuances and the silence of the text.
Jukka-Pekka Pajunen is also known for his activity in several cultural projects: e.g. he is a member of the artistic team of Tampere Theatre Festival.
Eino Leino Prize for Juha Hurme
Eino Leino Society has given out Eino Leino Prize 2005 to playwright, theatre director Juha Hurme for his brave and furious interpretations of Finnish classics.
Juha Hurme (b. 1959) is a founding member of Yövieraat theatre group (later Nälkäteatteri). He was the artistic leader of Ylioppilasteatteri (Helsinki Student theatre) in 1994-97, and the manager of Teatteri Telakka in 2002-2005. Hurme has received several national theatre awards. His latest premiere was Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, a Finnish classic war novel by Väinö Linna) in Jyväskylä City Theatre in February 2006.
Eino Leino (1878-1926) was a Finnish poet, playwright, and novelist, a master of song-like poetic forms. Leino was the most important developer of Finnish-language poetry at the turn of the 20th century, and nowadays the most cited poet in Finland.
A Boost for Criticism to Anna Krogerus
The Finnish Critics’ Association (Finnish acronym SARV) has given out A Boost for Criticism Prize 2006 to playwright Anna Krogerus for her play Rakkaudesta minuun (roughly translated For the love of me).
The main character of the play is a girl near adolescence, Sylvia, who tries to become visible in the eyes of her selfish, immature parents. They don’t mean any harm, they are just not listening, not being present for the child. Krogerus’ way to deal with the questions of communication, good parenthood and responsibility, is to do it through humour and understanding instead of accusations.
Rakkaudesta minuun had its premiere in Finnish National Theatre in January 2006 and it has been sold out ever since.
A Boost for Criticism is SARV’s annual award presented since 1962 to young artists who have made fresh artistic breakthroughs.
More on SARV
Finnish National Theatre
Mukamas International Puppet Theatre Festival
May 8-13 in Tampere
The International Children’s Theatre Festival in Kuusankoski
May 16-25 in Kuusankoski
Hangö Teaterträff
June 8-11 in Hanko
Savonlinna Opera Festival
June 30-July 29 in Savonlinna
Jyväskylä Arts Festival
July 11-16 in Jyväskylä
HIPPALOT Childrens Art Festival
August 3-6 in Hämeenlinna
Tampere International Theatre Festival
August 7-13 in Tampere
Helsinki Festival
August 18-September 3 in Helsinki
More festivals: www.teatteri.org/english/festivals/index.html or www.festivals.fi
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