PETER LIVED IN A HOUSE – a dolphin from dot to dot is a performance about power, our love of animals, and the limits of language. It is based on the tragic true story of Peter the dolphin, who was subjected to an experiment to teach him English. Premiere on 10 February 2026.
Can an animal be taught a human language? On July 15, 1965, one of the most bizarre experiments in scientific history begins on the U.S. Virgin Islands: a dolphin named Peter starts receiving English lessons. In order to learn a human language, the dolphin and a young woman move into a house filled with water. When the experiment ends, Peter is moved to another lab, where he is placed in a small, solitary tub. Soon, he commits suicide.
Pipsa Lonka’s play PETER LIVED IN A HOUSE – a dolphin from dot to dot ruminates on this absurd, true story. At the heart of the work lies the paradox of love: a human’s love for an animal can destroy the very being it cherishes. The ultimate protagonist here is not the dolphin but language, and the power entangled in the fables of our culture. Amidst the waves of words that roll onto the stage, actors Ria Kataja, Iida Kuningas, and Anna Airola try to retell Peter’s story.
The premiere will take place at &Revontuli on 10 February 2026. The piece continues the collaboration between Lonka and the WAUHAUS collective, with co-production partners Norwegian BIT Teatergarasjen and Viirus.
“What is most heartbreaking is the thought that humans believe they are doing good and acting out of love, yet in reality cause harm and suffering. Previous collaborations between Lonka and WAUHAUS have resulted in astonishingly beautiful and unique works. I expect no less from this project, given its emotional depth and resonance. The team is full of brilliant artists, and it is an honour to work with them,” says Jussi Sorjanen, Artistic Director of &.
“This piece dismantles our habitual ways of thinking and repositions the stage. The play reaches out toward another living being—the dolphin—through words and language, until the limits of both are reached. We hope the performance offers audiences a powerful emotional journey and a reminder of our responsibility to preserve the world’s diversity,” says Juni Klein of WAUHAUS.
Pipsa Lonka is an award-winning playwright, dramaturge, and screenwriter whose works often explore the relationship between humans and nature. Her play Sky Every Day (2023) was also a WAUHAUS and & co-production.
WAUHAUS is a Helsinki-based multidisciplinary arts collective that was awarded the Finnish State Prize for the Performing Arts in 2017.
PETER LIVED IN A HOUSE – a dolphin from dot to dot. Premiere on 10 February 2026. Performances 9 February – 7 May 2026.
Dates, tickets and additional infoWorking group
Written by: Pipsa Lonka
Direction, design, and performance dramaturgy: Juni Klein (WAUHAUS), Jussi Matikainen (WAUHAUS), Ville Seppänen, Heidi Soidinsalo (WAUHAUS), Riku Suvitie
On stage: Anna Airola, Ria Kataja, Iida Kuningas
Choir music composition: Marianna Liik
Choir: Tapiolan kuoro
Text dramaturge: E.L. Karhu
Production: & Espoon teatteri, WAUHAUS
Co-producers: Viirus, BIT Teatergarasjen
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