Fairy tale play Tahvo and Bella tells about animal friends – invitation to a press conference

Helsinki City Theatre brings to the stage the animal friends familiar from Tapani Bagge’s popular children’s books, the Mexican hairless dog Bella and the cat Tahvo. The fairy tale play Tahvo and Bella will premiere on 20 March. The presentation of the work and a press conference will be held on 13 March at 10 a.m. in the foyer of the small stage.

Tahvo and Bella, directed by Sami Rannila, tells an insightful story about friendship and also takes a stand on environmental protection. The play’s set and costumes, which utilise recycled materials, were designed by Maarit Kalmakurki.

The roles of the performance, which is rich in sound and musical, are played by Tiina Peltonen, Raili Raitala and Mikko Vihma. The actors familiar from HKT’s musicals have not only composed the music for the performance, but also create the entire soundscape of the performance, from singing and playing to various sound effects.

“We want to show children how and by what means theatre is created. We show e.g. what the set design consists of or how the soundscape is made,” says director Sami Rannila.

Bella the dog (Raili Raitala) lives on Lighthouse Island together with her owner, lighthouse keeper Selma (Tiina Peltonen). With a storm, the cat Tahvo (Mikko Vihma) arrives on the island in his bathtub boat. Bella introduces Tahvo to life on the island and tells him about the lighthouse. Suddenly, the lighthouse light goes out, and since Selma is resting with a cold, Tahvo and Bella are in a hurry to get the lamp back on before the ships run aground. The friends manage to save the situation, and Selma asks Tahvo to stay with them on the island.

The performance is suitable for everyone over the age of three.

Theatre maker Sami Rannila, who specialises in children’s theatre, has written more than 50 children’s plays and directed more than 40 children’s performances around Finland. Tapani Bagge’s Tahvo and Bella is his first directing in Helsinki. Over the past five years, Rannila’s children’s theatre direction has been among the three most watched, the most recent being the audience’s favourite was Herra Hakkarainen hobby (Linnateatteri 2017).

Scenographer Maarit Kalmakurki has studied clothing and costume design in England and at Aalto University in Finland. Since 2004, she has designed costumes and sets for various theatre and opera productions in numerous theatres in Finland, most recently Around the World in 80 Days (Teatteri Imatra, 2018). Kalmakurki is now visiting the Helsinki City Theatre for the first time. Maarit Kalmakurki is also an award-winning researcher of costume history, and she is currently preparing her doctoral dissertation at Aalto University on costume design for 3D animated films.

INVITATION TO THE MEDIA: Welcome to the presentation and press conference of Tahvo and Bella on Wednesday 13 March at 10 a.m. in the foyer of the Helsinki City Theatre’s small stage (Eläintarhantie 5).

The media and the invited child audience will be able to participate in the rehearsals of the play. The event will see a full run-through of the presentation (duration 35 min), after which the creators will talk about their work and there will be an opportunity to ask questions and interview the creators.

Registration for the press conference by 8 March: Register here!

Tahvo and Bella premiere on 20 March 2019 at 10 a.m. in the foyer of the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5)
Tickets: 10 € (incl. pm)

Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, First Line 2, Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) 
www.hkt.fi 

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests: Helsinki City Theatre, Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Officer , kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788

Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki