"Our performances are an invitation to join a conversation"

Jussi Sorjanen (b.1986) has worked as an artistic director and director across Finland and internationally. He specialises in international collaborations and facilitating co-productions and visiting programmes.

"Right now, the role of culture is in flux due to major structural shifts in our society. I believe that in the future, culture, art, and theatre will have an increasingly influential role in shaping the mood of the nation" Sorjanen says.

"Whose stories do we tell, who do we see on stage, which languages do we hear being spoken, what are the subjects and themes we feature – these are always active choices. Each performance is an invitation to join a conversation about what it is to be human, in the here and now."

Jussi Sorjanen is joined at the helm by Matilda von Weissenberg who will assume the role of Managing Director on Aug 1, 2024. In the re-organisation of the management structure, the role of Chief Financial Officer will be phased out with commensurate responsibilities and duties migrated over to the Managing Director.

"The government's budget cuts pose a serious threat to Finland's cultural and artistic sectors. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that culture fosters well-being, promotes interaction, enhances inclusion, and provides long-term economic benefits. Art, in particular, strengthens societal resilience."

Nevertheless, Von Weissenberg remains confident in the theater, its artists, and its audience. The theater's autumn season will open amidst the post-Olympic euphoria with Milla Koistinen's Breathe which will be performed at three sports fields in Espoo from August 28 to 31.

Watch the interview on YouTube

Minna Craucher - a Musical about Power and Play

Written by Aino Pennanen, composed by Eeva Kontu, and directed by Riikka Oksanen, this new carnivalesque musical examines the relative nature of truth through lies. These days, non-stop reassessment of one’s identity is considered personal growth. In a post-truth era, feelings and opinions steamroll facts, but whose truth prevails? Is a poor person allowed to reinvent herself as someone rich and well-to-do?

Based on actual events, Minna’s story mirrors the interwar period. It affords a glimpse of the rise of fascism, then and now. In the 1920’s, the times they are a’changin’ – everything seems possible. By the 1930’s, the illusion shatters when Minna, alongside half the Europe, is seduced by fascism. Is death a just reward for playing the game?

World premiere at &Revontuli on September 18, 2024.

The Unknown Soldier and The Making of Pinocchio

We bring Juho Mantere's adaptation of the Unknown Soldier to our program because his interpretation of the classic novel highlights the human perspective, the experience of fear, distress, and uncontrollability. The work provides its own strong perspective, mirrored in the present moment. It is a stripped-down, inventive performance adapted for four actors, aware of previous interpretations. &Louhi from 30 October to 2 November.

We will bring The Making of Pinocchio to Espoo together with Moving in November Festival. Artists and lovers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill have been creating this since 2018, alongside and in response to Ivor’s gender transition. In this ‘funny, clever and thoughtful two-hander, rich in playful imagery’ (The Guardian) their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

This “ravishingly beautiful’ (The Arts Desk) show is for anyone seeking to explore the sheer joy and limitless potential of queer imagination. &Louhi from 13 to 14 November.