Our fall season takes audiences to the forest and the circus tent

The work of the artistic director of the Festival d’Avignon, a Mexican documentary theatre hit, and Finnish experiences, from the circus tent to Nuuksio National Park, make up the diverse fall season at &&Espoon teatteri.

“Although theatre is a genre tied to a specific place and time, our upcoming fall programme spans decades and travels from Nuuksio to Mexico. As usual, the programme includes both international co-productions and Finnish gems. If I had to choose one word to describe the works, it would be gentleness, says Artistic Director Jussi Sorjanen.

Portuguese Tiago Rodrigues is the artistic director of the Festival d'Avignon and one of Europe's most important theatre makers. The key to Rodrigues's Rakastavaisten kuoro lies in the dialogue: it is actually two monologues spoken in unison by two actors. Alma Pöysti and Elmer Bäck play a couple, one of whom is close to death. The work celebrates the exceptionally strong connection between two people in a situation where life hangs by a thread. Rakastavaisten kuoro is directed by Tiago Rodrigues himself. Jussi Sorjanen is the assistant director, and the performance is produced by &.

When contemporary circus and traditional Finnish folk dances are combined, the result is Karkelot, a major new production by the circus collective Arctic Ensemble and director Jenni Kallo. This Finnish premiere is inspired by Finnish folk traditions, dance, and music, which are joyfully combined with circus acrobatics and physical comedy. The festivities are accompanied by the music of accordionist Johanna Juhola. Karkelot will be celebrated in Arctic Ensemble's own circus tent, which will be erected in Kivenlahti in August and in Espoo Center in September–October.

The documentary Mi Madre y el Dinero by Mexican director Anacarsis Ramos focuses on Ramos' mother Josefina Orlaineta and her 60-year career. The work reflects on money, class, and the vulnerability of the self-employed: the livelihoods of both salespeople and artists are uncertain.

Canadian Harold Hejazi's latest work, Legend of Harri Kala, draws on myths and combines improvisational theatre and video gaming. Tapiola is part of the play’s world.

And then something completely different. Juha Hurme's Eräteatteri will be seen in Nuuksio National Park in October. The performance consists of short plays by Franz Kafka and Rosa Liksom. The audience must navigate to the performance venue according to the instructions provided, without a smartphone. This work is not for the faint-hearted!

The fall programme also includes Saara Turunen's previously announced Room Trilogy, consisting of The Ghost of Normality, Medusa's Room, and The Grapes of Reason.