15.05.2012

TINFO e-News / Summer 2012

PROFILE

QUOTING - OPINIONS ON FINNISH DRAMA

FINNISH THEATRE AND ARTISTS ON TOUR

FROM START TO FINNISH – PLAYS FROM FINLAND IN THE UK

UPCOMING EVENTS

PUBLICATIONS

TINFO GRANT FOR TRANSLATIONS OF FINNISH PLAYS

 

·PROFILE

 

·”Write what you have to write”, The Finnish National Theatre as a Dramaturgic Incubator –  An interview with Mika Myllyaho, Director of The Finnish National Theatre

How does the commissioning of new texts take place at the National Theatre?

Mika Myllyaho: We have three avenues. The first consists of our five in-house writers: Juha Jokela, Heini Junkkaala, Sofi Oksanen, Laura Ruohonen and Paavo  Westerberg, for whom a certain continuity is guaranteed. For them, the National Theatre is a resident theatre under the  patronage of which they can develop as playwrights. I have signed agreements with our in-house writers for three plays over ten years.

Mika Myllyaho, photo Tuomo ManninenAnother way to get new texts for the theatre is to ask directly from certain authors, for instance Pirkko Saisio or Katja Krohn.

Thirdly, there is an active community of playwrights here in Finland, and new texts are proposed to us from these circles as well as others. Recent finds are Paula Salminen’s 13 Lost Years and Elina Snicker’s Homeland.

Our dramaturgs Minna Leino and Eva Buchwald read the texts being brought into our repertoire in good time. Our aim is to have the production team established a year before the premiere, so the writer will have a chance to test the texts with the actors during readings. This opportunity to try out incomplete texts has had the effect of writers increasingly daring to open up works in progress for discussion. It also demonstrates the solid professional skill of our dramaturgs that they are capable of engaging in these types of conversations with writers and the production team.

I noticed myself as a playwright, before my time here at the National Theatre, what an enormous resource it is to get informed feedback during the writing process. The writers who write for the National Theatre get as much support as possible from our dramaturgs. On occasion I have also hired external professional performance dramaturgs to watch rehearsals and offer their observations. Playwright and director Heini Junkkaala is an example of someone who is able to verbalise what she sees and distinguish problems related to form, for instance.

What gets written for you, and how?

MM: When I talk with the writers, I’m not commissioning anything specific from them per se, I just tell them: write what you have to write. We’re in a good situation here in Finland, because we have a lot of gifted artists. Many writers also direct their own texts. There were 10 premieres based on contemporary Finnish texts here at the Finnish National Theatre in 2011, out of a total of 13 premieres. On an international scale this is absolutely exceptional. Still, there are also a lot of dramatisations of novels, because they seem to give the director greater license to create theatre.

In Finland, drama is clearly not yet a form for experimentation with new aesthetics, rather stories are created for the stage with complete characters. Aristotelian chamber drama has made a comeback, and its viewer friendliness has led to a situation in which plays commissioned for the National Theatre are also in demand elsewhere. The works are replicable by different ensembles.

One common denominator linking all of our current writers appears to be personal experience: the need to write from up close, from one’s own experiential sphere. One’s personal observation acts as the dramaturgic point of departure. This stems in large part from the way of approaching dramaturgy that has been taught at Theatre Academy Helsinki for the past twenty years.

The writer’s own conflicting body of experience produces texts that offer viewers touch-points for identification. Stories of so-called normal people move us more deeply than if the writer had written a play about the world of a terrorist or a paedophile.

I would like to bring together here at the National those creators of theatre who are strong at the moment, such as Leea Klemola, Kristian Smeds, Pirkko Saisio and Laura Ruohonen. I believe that this potent group possesses so much vitality that it will have a positive effect on Finnish theatre as a whole: everyone will be able to feel that they are in their prime.

Written here in Finland versus written elsewhere?

European plays, for instance German or British plays, are often very politically charged. In those societies, the extremes are more distinctly visible than for us here in Finland, at least for the time being. Numerous texts written by immigrants can already be seen in Swedish theatre. At the National Theatre we are performing two contemporary Swedish plays that are both – which is illustrative in and of itself – written by immigrant authors.

I would be interested in reading texts that deal with our relationship to our changing country, to a changing Europe. Values and identity. Juha Jokela’s The Patriarch (to premiere in autumn 2012) is one such work.

Your plan for the upcoming years at the Finnish National Theatre?

MM: There is no one god that needs to be respected. There are and will continue to be many new Finnish plays in our repertoire, but for instance in 2013 the world classics will have their turn. We will host two visiting directors from abroad: Yana Ross will direct a text adapted from Euridyce and Andriy Zholdak will do The Three Sisters. In other ways as well we intend on concentrating on the art of the director in upcoming years.

I also see the National Theatre acting as a link between lands north of the Arctic Circle and Europe. The thinking of the Sami, Finland’s domestic indigenous people, will be made visible in a co-production with the new Ruska Ensemble, led by Ari-Pekka and Jarkko Lahti. The production, which tells about the artist Nils Aslak Valkeapää, will feature some Sami actors among the cast. The collaborating theatre in this project is the Sami national theatre, Beaivváš Sámi Teáhter from Norway.

A separate branch will be established at the Finnish National Theatre for international co-productions. I think it’s important that we engage in continuous international interaction, and it’s natural for us to seek out cooperation with major players like ourselves.

Mika Myllyaho spoke with Sari Havukainen, sari.havukainen(at)tinfo.fi


 

·QUOTING - OPINIONS ON FINNISH DRAMA

 

·Jean-Claude Idée: “Finnish dramatic writing – the cultural eclecticism and acceptance of external influences in a synergy with deep-rooted and regional culture” 

Jean-Claude Idée is a Belgian theatre director and founder of the Magasin d’Ecriture Théâtrale (MET).

"I found out about Finnish dramatic writing through scripts which were forwarded to me by the Finnish Cultural Institute in Brussels, thanks to the Belgian actor Isabelle Paternotte. To date I’ve read about thirty scripts – everything that is available in French as far as I know and some texts in English. I’m so thrilled to have discovered writing that is really of the moment and that tackles societal issues in often a very original way.

Beyond the inherent characteristics of the journey and world of each author, in these texts you can feel the profound influence of great Scandinavian writers such as Ibsen, Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman, but also Russian influences, and German and American theatre too, as well as international cinema (Almodovar amongst others).

The characteristic feature of Finnish dramatic writing is the cultural eclecticism and acceptance of external influences that work in a delicate synergy with the deep-rooted, traditional, regional culture of this small country with its own specific language. Universalism and a distinctive identity permeate through the subject areas tackled by playwrights.

A parallel can be made with Belgian playwrights, who also come from a small country and are similarly open to external influences without fear of losing their identity. There is an obvious kinship between our two writing styles.

This parallel is further demonstrated in the penchant for breakthrough styles, and in the mix of comedy and tragedy. A taste for the grotesque and self-deprecation is another similarity in our perception of the universe. For my own part, I would be delighted to enlighten Finnish theatre audiences in the aspects of Belgian dramatic writing, if the opportunity were to arise.

One feature that is more distinctive of Finnish writing is the significance of psychology, analysis, subconscious and even self-analysis that characters are often lead to indulge in. The hysterias and pathologies are often very apparent.

This is frequently shown in the form of physical violence in everyday life, which seems quite original to me – with the characters passing rapidly from hot to cold, like a sauna. You also often sense the mark left by the protestant religion even just as reactive or residual element.

In short, it’s young, modern and dynamic theatre that is careful to stay close to its roots while still being open to the world – theatre that is infinitely more dynamic than that of some larger countries that are burdened by their serious traditions." – Jean-Claude Idée



 

·Simon Boberg: “Something different, surprising and unique”

Artistic Director Simon Boberg on the Festival for European Contemporary Playwrights 2012, at Husets Teater in Copenhagen

“Among playwrights and theatre people all over Europe, the festival has become known as an interesting venue for getting one’s work presented,” says Simon Boberg, one of Husets Teater’s two Artistic Directors. He has been running the theatre with actor Mads Wille since 2008.

“The festival is also popular because of its atmosphere, created through informal gatherings, mutual inspiration and powerful experiences from encounters between actors and playwrights,” says Boberg.

Finnish contributions have sustained a delightfully high level. Juha Jokela from Finland participated with a version of Esitystalous, which was still being worked on at the time of its performance. In 2010, Sotaturistit by Laura Ruohonen was performed, and last year, Saara Turunen participated with Broken Heart Story. The play’s premiere was at Q-teatteri in Helsinki in September of the same year.

“Every year, Finnish playwrights have come up with something different, surprising and unique even on a European level. Thanks to the festival, we have managed to create the basis of a unique network of European organisations and theatres with a focus on creating new drama,” says Boberg.

This year, Husets Teater will be doing coproductions with Theatre de l’Atelier from Lyon, France, Sala Beckett from Barcelona, and Actors Touring Company from London.

“The festival is also a unique opportunity for Danish theatres, directors and producers to experience the newest drama and get to meet playwrights. This year, we are cooperating with Teater Republique and Holland House in presenting Danish drama and performing arts,” says Boberg.

“The Festival for European Contemporary Playwrights is a window into Europe, a platform for building and strengthening a network across boundaries and genres,” says Simon Boberg.
The festival will be held again on 13-16 June 2012.

For more information: www.husetsteater.dk


 

·FINNISH THEATRE AND ARTISTS ON TOUR


Juha Valkeapää, Taito Hoffrén and their van are showing 10 Journeys to a Place where Nothing Happens at the Gothenburg Dans & Teater festival on the 23rd–26th of May, and in Rakvere, Estonia on the 5th–7th of July. Check out their online diary. The Estonian Baltoscandal festival is a real meeting point of contemporary theatre.

The Finnish-Swedish co-production Conte d’Amour, loosely inspired by the Josef Fritzl incest scandal, will be seen in Vienna on the 6th–9th of June, and in Avignon on the 14th–19th of July. Conte d’Amour is produced by Nya Rampen (Finland) and Institutet (Sweden).
www.institutet.eu

The Finnish Myllyteatteri, together with its international co-organisers, is making a work-in-progress out of Dante’s master work Divina Commedia. A group of professional artists from different corners of Europe (Finland, Portugal and Greece) are answering the same question as Dante did: What is the meaning of life? Divina Commedia 2.0 can be seen in Portugal in July as a part of the Escrita na paisagem festival. The stage will be an abandoned marble quarry in Alentejo County. The co-organisers in the project are Art Syndicate from Greece and Colecção B, Associação Cultural from Portugal.

Finnish theatre director Hili Iivanainen is directing a Mexican play Connecting People by Elena Guiochins in Mexico City at the DramaFest theatre festival. The play will premiere on the 7th of August. Director-playwright Otso Kautto and playwright Laura Ruohonen will lead theatre workshops at the festival. The Mexican premiere of Juha Jokela’s play Mobile Horror is part of the festival programme. www.dramafest.com.mx

 


 

·FROM START TO FINNISH - PLAYS FROM FINLAND IN THE UK 


This spring, audiences in London had a possibility to discover two contemporary Finnish plays staged at the Pleasance Theatre: Death of a Theatre Critic, written and directed by Joakim Groth, and The Overcoat, by Esa Leskinen and Sami Keski-Vähälä, based on Nikolai Gogol’s short story. The Overcoat has been adapted to a Scottish setting by Catherine Grosvenor and directed by Aleksis Meaney, a young Finnish theatre director.  

Anthony Alderson, the director of the Pleasance Theatre says: "The new writing and talent coming from Finland is remarkable. The country’s entire approach to theatre is not only inspiring but also valuable for the UK theatre industry as we look for quality productions, talent and ideas for the future".

Alderson and the Pleasance Theatre Trust, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, ACE Production Finland are the main partners in a new initiative called “From Start to Finnish”, which brings Finnish works to the UK and British works to Finland. An essential feature of this concept, designed for exporting plays, is that the productions are directed by Finnish theatre directors, but the actors are local Brits.

The Overcoat won five stars from the theatre critics during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011. Starring in the play as McAkaky, Billy Mack was awarded as a Stage Best Actor at the festival. The performance was produced by Ryhmäteatteri, one of Finland’s leading independent theatres in Helsinki. Death of a Theatre Critic, in turn, is a production of the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki.

Next August, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2012 will have two new productions to offer based on Finnish contemporary plays. Perpetual Growth (Jatkuvaa kasvua) is also a production of Ryhmäteatteri, continuing a satirical treatment of the global economy. The production will be performed in Edinburgh and Great Britain by the same ensemble that performed The Overcoat. Another play that will be performed next August in Edinburgh is Bengt Ahlfors’ My Elevator Days. The Swedish Theatre is producing a new enactment of the play for the festival, directed by the writer Ahlfors himself.




·UPCOMING EVENTS



·The Mobile Artist, 23 – 26 May, Helsinki

The Mobile Artist is a symposium for and about nomadic artists in Helsinki 23th - 26th May 2012. Having flexibility of the mind, developing professionally and personally, challenging ideas and concepts, working in international collectives or simply travelling to perform in different countries. Mobility as an artistic strategy has many faces, but what are the traces mobility leaves on people and their works? How is artistic potential unleashed in the encounter with the other, and don't artist nomads need roots?

The Performance Centre ETK is an umbrella organisation for performance companies and artists in Helsinki. In May 2012, ETK is organising its first international symposium with the aim of providing training opportunities for artists, stimulating artistic exchange and opening debates about current issues related to the creation of art. The symposium is curated by the performance group Oblivia.

The four-day event includes two artistic workshops run by international artists from the performance and circus field, a roundtable discussion with keynote speakers about issues of artistic nomadism, an expert roundtable about residences for performance artists, artistic discussions about why artists do what they do as well as a site-specific performance.
Program updates are published on www.esitystaide.fi. A coproduction of the Performance Centre ETK, Finnish Circus Information Centre, TINFO – Theatre Info Finland and Kiasma Theatre, curated by Oblivia.



·Finnish Drama Readings Abroad,  6 – 7 June, Brussels and 13 – 16 June , Copenhagen

The Benelux institute of Finland is organising a mini-festival of contemporary Finnish drama reading in co-operation with Magasin d’Ecriture Théâtrale (MET). The curator of the festival is director Jean-Claude Idée. The drama readings in French take place at Théâtre de Poche in Brussels on the 6th–7th of June 2012. The Finnish playwrights and plays are Juha Jokela (Mobile Horror), Pasi Lampela (The Dreams of the Marquis), Mika Myllyaho (Chaos) and Laura Ruohonen (Olga). Information en français.

The New European Drama festival at Husets Teater in Copenhagen will show plays from the Nordic countries and Great Britain, France, Germany and Catalonia on the 13th–17th of June. Paavo Westerberg’s The Lie will represent Finland. The festival is curated by Simon K. Boberg and supported by the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark. Information in English



·Hanko Theatre Festival – Art Against Catastrophes, 7 – 10 June

Can art obstruct catastrophes? The 21st Theatre festival in Hanko approaches the theme Art versus catastrophes. We will dig deep into the importance of art counteracting the political, economical and global catastrophes that lie ahead.

Hanko Theatre Festival is the largest Swedish speaking festival in Finland and has through the years come to be an important meeting point for both national and international theatre workers and audience.

The festival takes place in the southernmost part of Finland, the beautiful coastal town of Hanko, 7th to 10th of June 2012.

This year the festival welcomes over 35 performances including Kristian Smeds Ensemble  Sad Songs from the Heart of Europé (FIN), the Reality Research Centre’s Utopi: Hangö, Gimme another Country by Teater Mars and Venus (FIN), Scarlattine Teatro with the site-specific performance In-Boscati (IT) and Turteatern from Stockholm performing their acclaimed version of Valerie Solanas SCUM-manifestet (SWE).

Have a look at the broad festival program: www.hangoteatertraff.org



·Finnish Theatre Showcase, 9 – 12 August, Tampere

The Tampere Theatre Festival & TINFO – Theatre Info Finland present a Finnish Theatre Showcase in Tampere from the 9th to the 12th of August 2012. The Showcase is the encounter of foreign guests of the festival. On Thursday we will gather together with rye bread and drinks before the performance Jessica’s Pup by Leea Klemola. On Friday the 10th of August at 10 a.m., we will present samples of the newest or upcoming Finnish performances. On Saturday we will meet with Finnish drama agencies and playwrights, see performances and enjoy a visit to the sauna.

The Tampere Theatre Festival is the traditional meeting point of Finnish theatre professionals after the summer vacation, serving as a display window for the finest Finnish and international productions. Further info and full program.



·The Stage – Helsinki Theatre Festival, 15 – 26 August

The Stage – Helsinki Theatre Festival offers a selection of contemporary theatre across cultural boundaries. Produced by Korjaamo Theatre, this year’s Stage will take place 15th - 26th August. The Finnish Case showcases nine new Finnish performances. Program and further info.



·PUBLICATIONS


TINFO News (to be released in June) / Writing for the Stage

TINFO News (to be released in June) / Theatre and Ecology

Previous issue to be viewed on web:
TINFO News Situated Perfomances and Performers




·TINFO GRANT FOR TRANSLATIONS OF FINNISH PLAYS


TINFO  – Theatre Info Finland admits annually approximately 10–12 translation grants for new translations of Finnish plays which have a production plan of staging. TINFO works as a mediator and produces background material for the showcases of Finnish plays and playwrights. TINFO’s partners abroad are Finnish cultural institutes. Grants for published works, books or anthologies can be applied for from FILI - Finnish Literature Exchange.

In 2011, according to TINFO’s statistics, 85 different productions were made based on Finnish plays abroad. Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was one of the most performed Finnish author even she did not write plays. She is best known as a creator of Moomin characters. Sofi Oksanen’s Purge was seen on eleven venues, and the plays of Mika Myllyaho’s trilogy (Panic, Chaos, Harmony) were staged on nine theatres, both in repertoires and in festival programs. Bengt Ahlfors’s five plays were performed in Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Russia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.  

It is really easy to find an access to almost all Finnish plays that have been translated into other languages. Finnishplays.com is a database of translated Finnish drama, which includes hundreds of works in close to thirty different languages. Finnishplays.com is maintained by the Finnish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild. The Finnish drama agency Agency North Ltd takes care of the international affairs of the Guild. The other significant database is produced by the Nordic Drama Corner Ltd. Both agencies promote Finnish plays and texts and assist in all permission inquiries and contract cases.

Contact info and links:
www.finnishplays.com
www.agencynorth.com
www.dramacorner.fi
www.finlit.fi/fili/en