Finnish stage debut for Édouard Louis romaner / Édouard Louis’ works for the first time on stage in Finland

The first act follows Eddy’s upbringing in a working-class family in northern France, marked by poverty, exclusion and brutal bullying. In the second act, we meet the adult Eddy, who tries to understand and process the sexual violence he has been subjected to. Despite the difficult subject matter, the story is portrayed with empathy and understanding. Director Jakob Höglund is known for his physical and musical stage language, which here meets violinist Elia Lombardini’s newly composed music.

” Louis manages to make his deeply personal stories very universal. His themes are as important in Finland as they are in France. He ties together difficult topics such as violence, class, homophobia, racism and identity in his stories into something that is difficult to defend against. The different format of the performance was born from the fact that I couldn’t decide which book we should make. So why not do two performances on the same night,” says director Jakob Höglund.

On stage: Andreas Kvisgaard and Maria Lura Skrudland, who are both completing their master’s degrees at the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, and Salomon Z. Patrick, a third-year student at the same school. Actors Patrik Kumpulainen, Pia Runnakko and Joachim Wigelius also participate in the performance.

The dramatisation has been based on the original French novels by Rasmus Arikka and the dramatisation has been translated from Finnish into Swedish by Kasimir Koski. Jakob Höglund is responsible for the direction and choreography, and Swedish Sven Haraldsson for the set and costumes. The music is composed by Elia Lombardini, lighting design by Ville Aaltonen, video design by Ville Tolvanen, sound design by Jaakko Virmavirta, mask design by Jaana Nykänen, intimacy choreographer Johanna Elovaara, fight and violence coordinator Ville Seivo and dramaturg Henna Piirto.

Édouard Louis made his debut at the age of 21 and has quickly become one of Europe’s most acclaimed authors. He is considered one of the most influential writers of his generation and is said to have renewed contemporary literature by giving a voice to the working class and making visible stories that rarely have a place in the public eye.

The History of Violence is part of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland’s World on Stage project, which supports the translation and staging of international drama for Finnish theatres.

Rasmus Arikka, who dramatised the performance, will talk at the Helsinki Book Fair about how Édouard Louis’ books were transformed into performing arts. Helsinki Book Fair, 26.10 at 17, Esplanade Stage.

Read the interview with Jakob Höglund on Lilla Teatern’s website: And Then One Day the Play EndedThe History of Violence, world premiere 13.11.2025 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, Helsinki.

Ticket price: normal price €43, student price €21.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner price €40 (Mon-Thu). #våldetshistoria @lilla.teatern @hktfi

Performed in Swedish. The performance is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.

Helsinki City Theatre’s customer service is available by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10-17. Ticket office on First Line 2, Mon-Fri at noon. 12-17, Djurgårdsvägen 5, Sat (performance days) at 11-18.30 and one hour before the performances start. Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat at. 9-19, Sun kl. 12-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge/mta) www.hkt.fi

Pictured in the press release: Andreas Kvisgaard and Salomon Z. Patrick. Photo: Heli Blåfield

Further information, press tickets and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250

ÉdouardLouis’s works to be staged for the first time in FinlandLilla Teatern’s lateautumn premiere is The History of Violence. The performance is based on the first two novels by the French bestselling author Édouard Louis, No More Eddy (En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule, 2014) and The History of Violence (Histoire de la violence, 2016). The play, dramatised by Rasmus Arikka, will be performed as a two-part ensemble on the Swedish-language stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. This is the first time Louis’ works have been seen on stage in Finland.

The first act follows Eddy’s childhood and adolescence in a working-class family in northern France, where poverty, exclusion and cruel bullying define everyday life. In the second act, we meet the adult Eddy, who is trying to understand and deal with the sexual violence he has experienced. Despite its difficult subject matter, the story is told empathetically and humanely.

Director Jakob Höglund is known for his physical and musical stage language, which in this work is combined with a new composition by violinist Elia Lombardini.

“Louis manages to make his very personal stories universal. The themes he discusses – violence, social classes, homophobia, racism and identity – are as touching in Finland as they are in France. The form of the performance was born when I couldn’t decide which book would be used as the basis for the work. So we decided to do both,” says the director of the performance, Jakob Höglund.

The cast includes Norwegians Andreas Kvisgaard and Maria Lura Skrudland, both master’s students at the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, and Salomon Z. Patrick, a third-year student at the same school.

Patrik Kumpulainen, Pia Runnakko and Joachim Wigelius will also be seen on stage.

The dramatisation of the original French novels was made by Rasmus Arikka and translated into Swedish from Finnish by Kasimir Koski. The direction and choreography are by Jakob Höglund, and the set and costumes are by the Swedish Sven Haraldsson. The music is composed by Elia Lombardini, the lighting design is by Ville Aaltonen, the video design is by Ville Tolvanen, the sound design is by Jaakko Virmavirta, and the camouflage is designed by Jaana Nykänen. The intimate choreographer is Johanna Elovaara, the combat and violence coordinator is Ville Seivo and the dramaturg is Henna Piirto.

Édouard Louis made his debut at the age of 21 and has quickly become one of Europe’s most important writers. He is considered the most influential voice of his generation and is said to have reformed contemporary literature by highlighting working-class experiences and stories that are rarely given space in the public eye.

The History of Violence is part of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland’s World on Stage project, which supports the translation and performance of stage works in Finnish theatres.

Dramatist Rasmus Arikka tells at the Book Fair how Edouard Louis’s books were transferred to the stage. Helsinki Book Fair, 26 October at 5 pm Esplanadi stage.

The language of the performance is Swedish. The performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.

Read an interview with director Jakob Höglund on Lilla Teatern’s website: Och sedan en dag tog lekenThe History of Violence, premiere 13.11.2025 Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, Helsinki.

Tickets: basic ticket €43, student ticket €21.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €40 (Mon-Thu). #våldetshistoria @lilla.teatern @hktfi

Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket offices First line 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 network charge) www.hkt.fi

In the photo: Andreas Kvisgaard and Salomon Z. Patrick. Photo: Heli Blåfield

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250