Note: No longer in repertoire!

What would you do if you knew the world was going to end in 16 years? Exactly the same as today? Paradisdoktrinen is Finland’s answer to Liftarens guide till galaxen, where George Orwell meets a catastrophic sitcom in a breakneck, macabre comedy. Paradisdoktrinen plays with what we know we want from life, what we think we know we want and what we do not know we ought to get out of life.

Following the success of Fabian Silén’s Komedin om Felix Liv (nominated for the Antonia Prize in 2015), Teater Mestola, in collaboration with 4:e Teatern from Västerås, presents the riotously macabre comedy Paradisdoktrinen. Directed by the well-known Swedish performing arts duo Joséphine Wistedt and Fredrik Lundqvist.

“Remarkably good theatre!” Otto Ekman, Hufvudstadsbladet.

“ An exceptionally entertaining play” Wilhelmina Öhman, Nytid.

“Silén is in a league of his own among Swedish-speaking Finnish playwrights” Christel Pettersson, Svenska Yle.

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The world is heading towards its demise, and on the last remaining patch of dry land, about the size of an average two-room city-centre flat, sits a cyborg, model Y-10, named Eva. Together with her spouse, the cyborg Adam, she wishes that something, anything, would put an end to their misery. “Oh God, help us,” Eva mutters to herself. Thousands of light-years away, God the Father himself sits forgotten, unhappy and sulking, trapped inside a black hole with none other than the father of evolution, Charles Darwin. But he will not stay there for long—he cannot abandon humanity in its hour of need. This time, everything will work out. Nobody will be nailed to anything!

Who else can fix everything but God the Father? It is time to call in “The backup” in the form of Pelle the cocker spaniel, author Karl Ove Knausgård, economist Milton Friedman and, of course, Eva and Adam’s unborn son David.

Text: Fabian Silén
Direction: Fredrik Lundqvist/Josephine Wistedt
Cast: Martin Bahne, Lidia Bäck and Iida Kuningas.
Visual design/Set design: Paola Guzman Figueroa
Sound design: Theo af Enehielm
Lighting design: Atte Pukero (Teater Viirus)
Costumes: Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila
Production: Teater Mestola/Misan Nykvist. 

World premiere on 29.4 2017 at Teater Viirus. 

www.mestola.com

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Performing arts duo Fredrik Lundqvist and Joséphine Wistedt, who direct the production, have collaborated on nearly ten productions. Fredrik is theatre director and artistic director of 4:e teatern in Västerås, while Joséphine  is a member of the independent company Unga Tur in Stockholm and has worked at venues including Riksteatern, Teater Barbara and 4:e teatern.

Martin Bahne (Adam, Milton Friedman and others)
Martin works as an actor at Teater Viirus. Before that, he worked at venues including Svenska Teatern, Wasa Teater and Vaasan Kaupunginteatteri, as well as with several independent companies such as Projektori-ryhmä and Teater Mestola, which he also co-founded. He is known from films and TV series including Gränsen 2018, Tom of Finland and the TV series Ratamo and Syke.

Iida Kuningas (Eva)
Iida, recipient of the Vivica Bandler Prize in 2017, is an actor at Teater Viirus. In recent years, she has also played major roles on the country’s leading stages, including the lead roles in Milja Sarkola’s hit plays Jotain Toista at Q-Teatteri and I taket lyser stjärnorna at Lilla Teatern. She also appeared in the award-winning, critically acclaimed production WunderKinder by Teater 90°.

Lidia Bäck (God, Knausgård and others)
Lidia works as an actor, director, jazz singer and burlesque artist. Bäck has worked at both established theatres and independent companies, and her current productions include 35 jag och några skådespelare (Blaue Frau), Den fastspända flickan (NSU) and Paradisdoktrinen (Teater Mestola). She is also directing the musical West Side Story (Novia yrkeshögskola/Jakobstad and Centria ammattikorkeakoulu/Kokkola).

Fabian Silén
Fabian is a playwright, director and actor. He has written the plays Komedin om Felix Liv (nominated for the Antonia Prize in 2015) and the acclaimed Paradisdoktrinen. His most recent acting role was in Marat/Sade, directed by Juha Hurme, and he will also appear in Lilla Teatern’s upcoming farce Ens lite lugn i huset by Florian Zeller. He is the artistic director of the independent company Teater Mestola.