Divine Comedy – Jumalainen näytelmä

Juvelius puts a team together and a secret dig begins. Valter’s sister Ester, a missionary, and a true believer, has also forced her way onto the expedition. An international sponsor bankrolls the treasure hunt, and a global skirmish is accidentally sparked.

On stage, we will meet a familiar ensemble: Tomi Alatalo, Eetu Känkänen, Antti Laukkarinen, Enni Ojutkangas, Cécile Orblin, and Roosa Söderholm.

Finlandia Prize winner Juha Hurme is known for his scintillating work exploring the early years of the Finnish republic. This time, Hurme takes us on an adventure with cameos by some of the early key figures of nation building, including Eino Leino and L. Onerva. Although total fiction and an excessively imaginative version of reality, Jumalainen näytelmä is in fact based on real characters and actual events.

The play is inspired by historian Timo Stewart’s book Valter Juvelius ja kadonneen arkin metsästys (Valter Juvelius and Raiders of the Lost Ark). The book was awarded Lauri Jäntti Foundation’s prize for non-fiction in 2021, and it was nominated for Finlandia Prize for non-fiction in 2020.

Premiere in Espoo City Theatre on the 8th of September.

Working group

Text and direction Juha Hurme
Performers Eetu Känkänen, Cécile Orblin, Antti Laukkarinen, Roosa Söderholm, Tomi Alatalo, Enni Ojutkangas
Set and costume design Raisa Kilpeläinen
Lighting design Jarkko Lievonen
Music Iida Savolainen
Sound design Tommi Koskinen
Make-up artist Kaija Heijari
Photos Raisa Kilpeläinen