Riihimäen Teatteri and Reality Research Center were granted by Finnish Cultural Foundation yesterday. I was representing both organisations at the foundation’s annual party as I’m now the Artistic Director in both of organisations.
Good program! Some live music, presentation of a video installation, speeches and a dinner in good company. Nice. Thank you, SKR!
Reality Research Team at the party: Managing Director Annu Kemppainen, Chairwoman of admin board Maria Oiva and I.
MEDEA: Clownish Rage Management in Kanneltalo, Helsinki, 7.2.-10.3.2018
photo by Mika Haaranen
Kuuntele Tainaa Yle Puheen radiohaastattelussa 7.2.2018 ja lue Kulttuurikuuri-blogin sekä Helsingin Sanomien arviot esityksestä!
Since November I’ve been dropping by in Taina Mäki-Iso’s rehearsals as a co-director. Mäki-Iso is working on a new clown solo dealing with classic Greek myth of Medea, a woman who took revenge against her unfaithful husband by killing her children.
In the solo Mäki-Iso’s clown character Martta gets a chance to play this great role but she is terrified by the atrocities. Martta finds her own tenderheartedness infuriating and in general she has a problem with her short temper. Through the solo Martta tries to practice rage management in various ways and asks advice also from the audience. Perhaps Medea herself should have tried these methods before executing her crime…
Mäki-Iso has become the Finnish grand old lady of clowning. She has taught most of the clowns in the country at some point of their careers and she is still in the business of goofing around. While working in Lappeenranta City Theatre eight years ago I invited Mäki-Iso to give a course to actors. Next year, 2011, we co-directed a clownery piece for children on big stage. The deal was that she directed the clowning and I directed the rest but it was such a good collaboration that we almost forgot that we had a deal. Ever since we’ve been looking for an opportunity to repeat the cooperation. So, here we are. The premiere is next Wednesday. Both Finnish and English speaking MEDEA: Clownish Rage Management is suitable for ten year olds, or older. Welcome!
Pasi Lappalainen as 17th century tulip bulb broker and Päivi Rissanen as Scrooge. photo: Tomi Suovankoski
TOTEM-teatterin Tulppaanikupla – pörssiromahdus ja rahan synty -esitys kiertää kouluja tämän vuoden aikana. Sunnuntaina 11.3. klo 12:30 – 13:30 siitä järjestetään kaikille avoin esitys EMMA:ssa eli Espoon Modernin Taiteen Museossa. Varaa paikkasi tuottajalta sähköpostitse. Tapahtuma myös Facebookissa.
Lue Helsingin Sanomien arvio esityksestä.
Tulppaanikupla – pörssiromahdus ja rahan synty will be performed for anyone interested at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art on Sunday March 11 at 12:30. Check the event from Facebook and book your seat from the producer via email.
Kekäläinen & Company has published a book Body, Meat & Spirit – perspectives to the work of Sanna Kekäläinen! It is a collection of photographs and six essays written by dance researcher Riikka Laakso, philosopher and writer Olli Ahlroos, fine artist, author and director Teemu Mäki, reseacher Maria Svanström, Doctor Anu Laukkanen… and me.
You can order this bilingual (Finnish & English) work of art from Books on Demand either as a hard cover or as an ebook. Plunge deep into the world of Kekäläinen in good company!
Read the combined review of the book and Kekäläinen’s latest performance Hullut/Insane from Helsingin Sanomat.
Photos from last rehearsals and finetuning of TOTEM-theatre‘s Tulppaanikupla – pörssiromahdus ja rahan synty production. Premiere is on Thursday 18 January after which Tulppaanikupla will be touring schools until November.
17th century tulip bulb broker alias Pasi Lappalainen & Scrooge alias Päivi Rissanen in a press photo by Tomi Suovankoski.
Set & costume designer Paula Koivunen at work.
Audience participation designer Camilla Anderzén checking the purses of investors. Photo by Päivi Rissanen.
Getting ready for test audience (the collars and wrist laces are for high court judges).
Light designer Jaanus Lintera testing lights for high court.
Director fooling around as a high court judge. Photo by Paula Koivunen
I wish you all Merry Christmas with ICE HOLE’s newly published Xmas issue!
Besides editor Pilvi Porkola’s letter, it’s all videos this time.
Still from the cover video Kissing Santas by Sandrina Lindgren and Ishmael Falke.
ICE HOLE – Live Art Journal is an online journal focusing on Live Art and Performance Art. We publish videos and texts and our aim is to share thoughts, ideas, inspirations and discussions. The journal is Reality Research Center production.
Voima-lehden vieraileva päätoimittaja Jari Tamminen nostaa esille pääkirjoituksessaan Riihimäen Teatterin. Haastattelu käsittelee sen lisäksi paitsi Janne Katajan Riihimäki -esitystä myös työtäni Todellisuuden tutkimuskeskuksessa ja Työ 5.0 – LEIPÄ -esitystä. Mukana myös Mikko Roihan ohjaaman Pesärikko-esityksen arvio. Klikkaa auki tästä.
Maija Siljander, Riku Korhonen ja Katja Peacock Janne Katajan Riihimäki -esityksessä. Kuva: Aki Loponen
Lue lisää esityksestä TOTEM-teatterin sivuilta!
Briefly in English in the previous post.
Below team Tulppaanikupla on set in Suomenlinna 30 November from left to right: Camilla Anderzén (audience participation designer), Tiina Piispa (producer), Pasi Lappalainen (performer, “Broker”), me, Päivi Rissanen (performer, “Scrooge”) and Paula Koivunen (costume and set designer).
photo: Tomi Suovankoski
Official press photo by Tomi Suovankoski, including tulip painting reproduction by Paula Koivunen
still from a video by Juho Kauti
Yesterday I was honoured to celebrate Finland’s 100th Independence Day at the Precidential Palace as one of the 1900 invited guests. I was there as a representative of Riihimäen Teatteri. What an exciting evening was that!
See my short moment in the spot light here where I shake hands with the president and the first lady. Thanks for the video, Juho!
I was also happy to share an interview by Aamulehti with MP Satu Hassi.
Aloitin tällä viikolla ohjaamaan TOTEM-teatterille kirjoittamaani esitystä TULPPAANIKUPLA – pörssiromahdus ja rahan synty. Se on osallistava teatteriesitys lapsille, jossa yleisö pääsee teatterin näyttelijöiden, Päivi Rissasen ja Pasi Lappalaisen, kanssa leikkimään hollantilaista 1600-luvun tulppaanihuutokauppaa. Esitys käsittelee huutokaupan lisäksi pörssikaupan alkeita ja rahan fiktiivistä luonnetta. Ensi-ilta on keskiviikkona 18. tammikuuta 2018.
Lue lisää esityksen taustoista blogikirjoituksesta “Järkyttävän hieno keksintö”.
This week I started directing TULPPAANIKUPLA – pörssiromahdus ja rahan synty (Tulip Bubble – stock market crash and the origins of money) that I wrote for TOTEM-theatre. It’s a participatory theatre piece for children. The audience will play 17th century tulip auction in Amsterdam with the TOTEM-teatteri actors. The performance deals with the basics of stock exhange, stock market crash and fictional nature of money. Premiere is on 18th of January 2018.
Graphic design by Tomi Suovankoski