A brand-new relationship comedy by top Finnish comedians, inspired by a reality TV series
The long-established relationship between an enthusiastic wife and her sensible engineer husband gets a new lease of life at a guerrilla training camp when Kotijoukot premieres at the Arena Stage on 2 September. This fast-paced new comedy is the work of award-winning comedy creators, actor-writers Niina Lahtinen and Joonas Nordman, and director Anna Dahlman. This is the trio’s first theatre collaboration.
Kotijoukot is a riotous new comedy in which the everyday lives of two middle-aged couples are turned upside down when an elite forces instructor known from reality TV is invited to run a weekend-long guerrilla training camp in the middle of a peaceful residential neighbourhood. It is not only their physical fitness that is put to the test, but also the boundaries of their relationships, their expectations and their perceptions of their own abilities.
The play was written by leading names in Finnish comedy Niina Lahtinen and Joonas Nordman. Its humour springs not only from relatable relationship dynamics and misunderstandings, but also from the macho world of military training.
“People taking themselves so seriously is incredibly funny, but I am also amused by their unrealistic belief that they could cope with it all,” says Niina Lahtinen.
The idea for the play emerged a few years ago when Lahtinen was discussing the TV series Erikoisjoukot with her sister. Her sister wanted to try completing the challenges featured in the programme. Lahtinen found the thought of a nearly 50-year-old mother of four dreaming of elite forces training amusing, and the play’s comic premise began to take shape: an enthusiastic wife and her cautious, rational engineer husband.
Drawing on this idea, Lahtinen wrote the first version of the script and invited Joonas Nordman to help develop it further. Lahtinen feels that she and Nordman share a similar comic dynamic to Anna and Mikko, the play’s central characters whom they portray.
“We make a funny duo because we are so different. I’m loud and bursting with energy, while Joonas is slight and cynical,” Lahtinen says with a laugh.
Alongside Niina Lahtinen and Joonas Nordman, the cast of Kotijoukot features comedy virtuosos Jarkko Pajunen, Emilia Sinisalo, Helena Haaranen, Sanna Saarijärvi and Sauli Suonpää.
The play is directed by Anna Dahlman, known for her work as a screenwriter and director for television and film. The dramaturg is Sanna Niemeläinen. The set is designed by Antti Mattila. The costume designer is Riia Parviainen. Petteri Heiskanen is responsible for the lighting design, while Eero Niemi has composed the music and designed the sound. The make-up design is by Maija Sillanpää.
Read the interview with Niina Lahtinen on the theatre’s website: Piristystä parisuhteeseen sissisotilaskoulutuksesta
Kotijoukot premieres on 2.9.2026 at Helsinki City Theatre’s Arena Stage (Hämeentie 2).
Tickets: standard ticket 52 €, student ticket 26 € (Mon–Thu) and senior ticket 49 € (Mon–Thu)
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Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone: (09) 394022, Mon–Fri 10-17. Box offices: Ensi linja 2, Mon–Fri 12-17; Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performance; and lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9-19, Sun 12-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local/mobile network charge) www.hkt.fi
Press release image: Joonas Nordman, Jarkko Pajunen, Emilia Sinisalo and Niina Lahtinen. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen.
Further information, press ticket reservations and interview requests:
Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki