Didn’t Say Regret is a timeless survival story and a beautiful hiking story
Based on Tommi Kinnunen’s beloved novel (2020), which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize, the new Finnish play No Regret Told Me will premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 9 February. The dramatisation and direction of the play is Susanna Airaksinen, and the main roles are played by a stunning quintet of Lumi Aunio, Seidi Haarla, Heidi Herala, Ursula Salo and Aino Seppo.
Said No Regrets tells about Finnish women who worked for the German army during the Continuation War. When German troops withdraw from northern Norway and return to their homeland, the services of Finnish women are no longer needed. Working for a respected comrade-in-arms nation has turned into treason. To avoid the prison camp, a group of women embark on a difficult and dangerous journey through burnt and mined Lapland, helping each other, thinking about their choices.
“Tommi Kinnunen once wondered how a novel can bend to the stage when you just walk around and think. I think that form provides a delicious challenge and is the starting point, its magic, of this stage work. In the performance, women walk in the wilderness, great music plays and suddenly a person’s memory or imagination pops into the landscape. We get a moment to live with the secret memory. Then the journey continues, but with these moments, the passers-by change,” says Susanna Airaksinen , who dramatised and directed the play.
He said he didn’t regret giving a voice to women whose stories had not been told before and put the song about Finnish history in a new light. Despite its tough subject matter, it is an airy and beautiful hiking story, where the wilderness landscapes and the surrounding nature bring lightness to the journey.
"The performance takes place in a time just after the crisis, when everything has fundamentally changed and the old way of life is no longer possible. The future is not bright and simple, but an endless wilderness with no roads or signposts. That wilderness is harsh and scary, but also spacious, beautiful and free of expectations,” Airaksinen says.
The main roles are played by Lumi Aunio, Seidi Haarla, Heidi Herala, Ursula Salo and Aino Seppo. The other roles in the play are played by Rauno Ahonen, Jouko Klemettilä, Helena Haaranen, Sami Paasila, Sauli Suonpää, Antti Timonen and Mauno Terävä.
The journey will be accompanied by a rough live band on stage, featuring musicians Vesa Anttila and Sami Koskela , as well as Eeva Koivusalo, who also acts as a conductor.
The set design, which draws inspiration from the vast wilderness of Lapland, was designed by Vilma Mattila and the costumes set during the Second World War by Tellervo Syrjäkari. The camouflage is designed by Milja Mensonen and the lighting design is by Heikki Paasonen. The composition and sound design are by Johanna Puuperä.
Susanna Airaksinen is an award-winning theatre director and dramaturg. Her previous direction at the Helsinki City Theatre was the audience and critically acclaimed Colonel ( 2019). Airaksinen has also directed a play based on Tommi Kinnunen’s debut novel Neljantienristeys (2016) at the Turku City Theatre.
Tommi Kinnunen is an award-winning author and teacher of Finnish language and literature. His novels give a voice to those whose stories have previously been silenced. Kinnunen has written five novels that have been critical and bestsellers. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Read Susanna Airaksinen’s interview on the theatre’s website: Towards the light of summer
Didn’t Tell Me Regrets premiere on 9.2.2023 on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5). Tickets: student ticket €24.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €46 (Mon-Thu), basic ticket €49 #eikertonutkatuvansa @hktfi
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Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
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