Tinfo news 2008/1


		No 1 / February 2008
		News from the Finnish Theatre Information Centre

		This is a 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 http://www.teatteri.org/english/index.html

		Nordic Showcase in Tampere in August 2008 Exiting theatre season in Finland: The Unknown Soldier raises discussion; Seven Brothers as a fresh adaptation; Seguels of some of the best contemporary plays. Finnish drama abroad: several premieres in European theatres Awards and nominations News from National Opera: nominations; Saariaho's Adriana Mater The VI Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 2009 Finnish Circus Information Centre's new site Recently translated Finnish plays Upcoming festivals

		Nordic Showcase in Tampere 4-10 Aug 2008 The Nordic Showcase is a cooperation project of the Finnish Theatre Information Centre TINFO with the Tampere Theatre Festival. The Festival programme consists of the best Finnish theatre productions of the year and interesting guest performances from the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as other international shows. This is a great opportunity to get a comprehensive picture of contemporary Nordic drama! Moreover, TINFO will organise staged readings, seminars, panels and discussions on topics related to the Nordic theatre life. Nordic theatre practitioners will come to the Showcase and discuss their work, national theatre policies and Nordic cooperation. The Nordic Showcase Seminar Program will include introductions to Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese and Baltic new dramatic writing. Staged readings of Nordic plays will broaden the picture, too. The Nordic Drama Award will be given out to the Best Nordic Play of the past two years. The Festival and Seminar Programs will be completed in May. Note that all the seminars and staged readings are free of charge, you’ll only pay for the theatre tickets! The Tampere Theatre Festival Program will be put on the site http://www.teatterikesa.fi . A site for the Seminar Program will opened in the upcoming months, too. Up

		Exiting theatre season in Finland Kristian Smeds’ The Unknown Soldier raises discussion The hot topic of the Finnish theatre in the Finnish media and theatre field this winter has been Kristian Smeds' adaptation of Väinö Linna's classic The Unknown Soldier. After the premiere the tabloids were filled with politicians’ irritated comments about play. Politicians’ and other Finnish celebrities’ photos are shot in the Smeds play, and the celebs were shocked about the shooting – most of them without having seen the play or knowing the context. Even censorship demands were raised in the debate. The discussion soon crystallized to another kind of ethical question: can a person criticize a piece of art without finding out what it is about? The theatre field and theatre critics have praised The Unknown Soldier, calling it the play of the decade. Kristian Smeds has succeeded in making a fresh, pacifistic version of the classic, which has been filmed twice and staged several times in Finland. Smeds interprets young generation’s feelings of Finnish history, presence and future. In a Russian magazine, Kommersant, the play is described as the most important European theatre event of the month. Another classic re-interpreted: Seven Brothers by Mikko Roiha Theatre director Mikko Roiha has let fresh air into Aleksis Kivi's Seven Brothers at the TTT- Theatre in Tampere. In Roiha’s interpretation the brothers are rootless young men, who hava to grow up and find their place in a society that gives them no support, or anything rational to do. In the play, violence grows from feelings of insignificance, like desperate attacks towards society in a modern world grow from unemployment. Roiha’s adaptation has been praised by critics in Finnish newspapers. For curiosity, TINFO’s international coordinator Martina Marti’s direction of the same large novel, Seven Brothers, as a monodrama had its premiere in Q-theatre in 21 February. Finnish new drama in sequels Some of the latest years’ best plays have got a continuation. Leea and Klaus Klemola’s brand new premiere Kohti kylmempää (Towards colder) is a sequel to Leea Klemola’s last play Kokkola. This time Marja-Terttu and Piano Larsson are heading towards the northernmost inhabited village of the world in Greenland. The expedition is a crew of peculiar characters in a true Klemola way, absurd scenes follow each other in a breath-taking pace, and out of all this grows love – a power that is strong enough to accelerate the global warming. Mika Myllyaho’s newest play, Kaaos (Chaos) was premiered in February by Ryhmäteatteri, Helsinki. It is a sequel to Panic that was about three men on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Now there are three 30-something women in a crisis. A life under pressure from work, family life and society can lead to chaos. A friend in need is a friend indeed then. Kaaos is the second part of a trilogy according to the playwright himself, so there will be more interesting plays to come in upcoming years. Sirkku Peltola resurrects Gram from her hit play The Finnhorse in her next play, Yksiöön en äitee ota! ( I’m not taking Gram into my flat!). The farm from The Finnhorse is expropriated, and Gram’s daughter Aili has to move to town, into a tiny flat. Despite Aili’s protests, her mother, Gram, and other family crowd into her humble home. Peltola’s new play will be premiered in March at the TTT-Theatre, Tampere. Up

		Finnish drama abroad Juha Jokela’s The Fundamentalist a success in the Faroe Islands The Fundamentalist is the very first Finnish play that has had its premiere in the Faroe Islands. The premiere was in the late October in Torshavn by Tvazz Theatre Group. The critics and the audience have praised the text and the interpretation. A real flood of Finnish dramas in Estonia At the end of last year seven Finnish plays had their premieres in Estonia. The reception was enthusiastic throughout. A Finnish theatre director, manager of Kuopio City Theatre, Lasse Lindeman directed Bengt Ahlfors' play The Last Cigar in Vana Baskini Theatre, Tallinn. Other plays were Reigin pappi by Aino Kallas, Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson, Runar and Kyllikki by Jussi Kylätasku, Joki virtaa läpi kaupungin by Antti Tuuri, The Finnhorse by Sirkku Peltola and Suurema kurbuseta, an adaptation of Reko Lundán’s two plays Someone Always Goes Astray and Can you Hear the Howling? and his novel Ilman suuria suruja. Finnish theatre director Kristian Smeds’ highly appraised adaptation of Arto Paasilinna’s Year of a Hare for the Estonian theatre Von Krahli had a renewal period at the autumn 2007 season in Tallinn. Leea Klemola’s Kokkola continued its successful run at the Endla teater in Pärnu. In addition, the Finnish National Theatre visited Eesti Draamateater, in Tallinn with Purge by Sofi Oksanen, also a success. The Last Cigar runs also in Germany Bengt Ahlfors’ plays are the most performed Finnish plays abroad. Last October, The Last Cigar had its premiere in Studiobüchne, Bayreuth. At the same time The Last Cigar was running in theatres in Prague and Bratislava. Mika Myllyaho’s Panic in Copenhagen and St Petersburg Mika Myllyaho’s play Panic - men on the verge of a nervous breakdown started its international run by a staged reading in Santa Barbara, USA in 2007, followed by staged readings in French by the Centaure Theatre of Luxembourg in a tour in Luxembourg, Belgium and France in January 2008. The very first full production was premiered in Danish by the Bellevue Theatre in Copenhagen in mid-February 2008. The show is sold out for the whole spring season. The White Theatre of the Dostoyevsky Museum, Bely Teatr in St Petersburg, Russia, will produce the second international complete production of this play in April 2008. Maria Kilpi’s play in Germany and Austria Dramaturge student Maria Kilpi’s play Harmin paikka was one of the five new European plays to be presented at the Stückemarkt Theatertreffen Festival, Berlin, last year. The play, Plus null komma fünf windstill in German, had a premiere in Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin in December 2007, and in Burgtheater, Vienna, in the beginning of February 2008. Central European audiences appreciate the play’s themes of the generation gap and forgetting and remembering. Staged reading of Haapoja in Los Angeles The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles arranged a staged reading of a play Haapoja by Jussi Kylätasku (1989) in mid-February. Matti Haapoja was Finland’s most notorious murderer in the 19th century. While imprisoned, Haapoja was visited regularly by Mathilda Wrede, a famous evangelist and baroness, who was known in Finland as the “Friend of the Inmates.” The reading was directed by Marjo-Riikka Mäkelä. Finnish theatre professionals abroad Raija-Sinikka Rantala directed Autumn Sonata by Ingmar Bergman in the Théâtre des Capucins in Luxembourg. Theatre director Cilla Back directed Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy by Witold Gombrowicz in Norway, Det Norske Teatret. http://www.detnorsketeatret.no Up

		Awards and nominations Finland Prize Finland Prize, 30 533 euros, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Education in recognition of a significant career in arts, an exceptional artistic achievement, or a promising breakthrough was given to five artists, among them author, translator Lars Huldén and dancer Sini Länsivuori. Lars Huldén is a Finland-Swedish author, who has written and translated plays, poems and lyrics. Sini Länsivuori is a dancer in the internationally renowned dance group Tero Saarinen Company. The State Prizes for the Arts The State Prizes for the Arts 2007 were given to photographer Malla Hukkanen, set and costume designer Kimmo Takala and visual artist, author Hannu Väisänen. The Prize sum is 15 000 euros. Malla Hukkanen is a still photographer, and she is internationally renowned especially for her publicity photos and posters for Aki Kaurismäki films. Kimmo Takala is famous for his set and costume designs for contemporary dance groups. Hannu Väisänen lives in South West France. Recently he has been in the headlines in Finland thanks to his novels: the second volume of his autobiographical novels won Finland’s most prestigious literature prize, Finlandia Prize. Pro Finlandia Medals The Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland is the most prestigious recognition in the field of culture in Finland. It is given out on December 6, the Independence Day, by the President of Finland. Pro Finlandia Medals 2007 were given out to 11 artists, among them the playwright Pirkko Saisio, playwright, theatre director Juha Siltanen and the Director of Swedish Theatre in Helsinki (Svenska Teatern), Johan Storgård. Mikko Hänninen leads the Actors’ Union Actor Ville Sandqvist left the chairmanship of the Finnish Actors’ Union and actor Mikko Hänninen from the TTT-theatre Tampere was elected to lead the Union for the next three years. Up

		Opera Nominations Conductor Mikko Franck was appointed Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera. His contract extends to July 31, 2011, with an option for a two-year continuation. Mikko Franck has been General Music Director of the Finnish National Opera since autumn 2006. Until last summer, he was also the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the National Orchestra of Belgium. Kenneth Greve, who is currently Principal Dancer and Ballet Master with the Royal Danish Ballet, was appointed Artistic Director of the Finnish National Ballet. He will take up his new post on August 1, 2008 on a four-year fixed-term contract with an option for a further two years. Administrative Director Pekka Kauranen has resigned. His tasks are taken care by the General Director Päivi Kärkkäinen, who is the overall manager of the Finnish National Opera. http://www.operafin.fi February premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s new opera at the Finnish National Opera The second opera by Kaija Saariaho, Adriana Mater, will be premiered at the Finnish National Opera on 23 February 2008. Saariaho was recently named Composer of the Year in the USA. The opera was given its world premiere at the Bastille Opera in Paris two years ago in a joint production by the Opera National de Paris and the Finnish National Opera, and is now being brought to Helsinki. The production is directed by American-born Peter Sellars. The libretto is written by Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf. Besides Maalouf and Sellars, the rest of the production team is also the same as in Paris: set designer George Tsypin, costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and lighting designer James F. Ingalls. At the premiere, the role of Adriana will be sung by mezzosoprano Monica Groop. Conductor Ernest Martínez Izquierdo will conduct the premiere and some of the subsequent performances, with Anna-Maria Helsing conducting the rest. Up

		Ballet Competition in Helsinki 2-11 June, 2009 The VI Helsinki International Ballet Competition will be held at the National Opera on 2-11 June, 2009, organised by the Helsinki International Ballet Competition Association. The website of the Competition has been launched. Kenneth Greve has been nominated the Artistic Director of the Competition and the chair of the International Jury. Dance artist Sari Lakso has been nominated the General Secretary of the Competition. The deadline for competitors’ applications is 31 January , 2009. http://www.balcomphel.fi Up

		Finnish Circus Information Centre’s new site The Finnish new circus artists are gaining more and more international success. Check the new site of the Finnish Circus Information Centre: http://www.sirkusinfo.fi Up

		Recently translated Finnish plays Finnish plays which are translated into other languages can easily be found in TINFO’s dramasearch http://www.teatteri.org/english/drama/dramasearch.html Satu Rasila: Drabbad av mord (Kohtalona murha) into Swedish by Lars G. Thelestam Paavo Westerberg: Heim bevor es dunkel wird (Kotiin ennen pimeää) into German by Angela Plöger Katja Krohn: ЕЩЕ РАЗ О СЕРОМ ВОЛКЕ (ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ СЕРОГО ВОЛКА), Iso Paha Susi, into Russian by Jevgenia Tinovitskaja Bengt Ahlfors: Иллюзионисты (Illusionisterna) into Russian by Maria Ludkovskaja Kristian Smeds: Sad Songs from Europe into English by Sanna Stellan Laura Ruohonen: Solisla (Yksinen) into Spanish by Maritza Núñez and Katja Hytönen; and Olga into American English by Nely Keinänen Otso Kautto: Aguante del Dolor (Kipukynnys) into Spanish by Maritza Núñez and Suvi Ollila; into French, Seuil de douleur, by Ursula Kautto Mika Myllyaho: Panique (Paniikki) into French by Susa Marjut Klami, into Spanish, Pánico, by Maritza Núñez and Katja Hytönen and into American English by Sarka-Hentula and Nely Keinänen Jari Juutinen: Je suis Adolf Eichmann (Minä olen Eichmann) into French by Mariut Klami. Anna Krogerus: Par amour-propre (Rakkaudesta minuun) into French by Alexandre André. For information on the plays or the playwrights, please contact us by e-mail tinfo(at)teatteri.org Up

		Upcoming festivals 2007-2008 FESTIVAL FLAMENCO DE HELSINKI March 18-23 BRAVO Helsinki March 8-16 International Children´s Theatre Festival STUDENT THEATRE FESTIVAL Vaasa April 11-13 TAMPERE DANCE CURRENT CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL April 22-27 CIRKO NEW CIRKUS FESTIVAL Helsinki May 7-14 RUUTIA! Dance festival for children Helsinki April 13-20 Baltic Circle Helsinki May 9-17 INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATRE FESTIVAL Tampere May 12-17 INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S THEATRE FESTIVAL Kuusankoski May 13-18 BLACK AND WHITE THEATRE FESTIVAL Imatra, May 28-31 HANGÖ TEATERTRÄFF Hanko June 5-8.6 JYVÄSKYLÄ FESTIVAL Jyväskylä July 8-13 SAVONLINNA OPERA FESTIVAL Savonlinna July 4 - Aug 2 URB 08 Helsinki Aug 1-12 TAMPERE THEATRE FESTIVAL Tampere Aug 4-10 HELSINKI FESTIVAL Aug 15-31 Up

		Finnish Theatre Information Centre Meritullinkatu 33 00170 Helsinki tel. +358-9-2511 2120, fax +358-9-2511 2125 tinfo(at)teatteri.org www.teatteri.org Director: Riitta Seppälä, Information Officer: Anneli Kurki, Information Secretary: Nina Jääskeläinen
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