Great silence brings theatre enthusiasts to the stage of professional theatre
Helsinki City Theatre’s three-year audience outreach project, Jakomäki in the Main Role, culminates in a full-length theatre performance that will be performed five times, bringing amateur actors to two large stages. The intense adventure story The Great Silence – A Performance of a Possible Future will premiere on 17 May at Malmitalo and on 22 May at the Helsinki City Theatre’s Studio Pasila.
In the main role, Jakomäki is one of the City of Helsinki’s Helsinki Model projects. The aim of the project is to balance and diversify the art and cultural offerings of the districts and to encourage art institutions and art professional groups to work outside their walls in different districts in cooperation with the residents and communities of the area.
“It’s great that in addition to our diverse range of repertoire, we can also carry out theatre activities in many different ways. During these three years, we have offered people the opportunity to participate in and learn about theatre work,” says Jenny Jumppanen, Jakomäki’s coordinator and audience worker at the Helsinki City Theatre.
“Directing this performance has been a rewarding and meaningful process for me. The stage will feature 26 wonderful personalities of different ages. During the training season, they have formed a cohesive group that supports and encourages each other without reservation. The presentation shows one possible picture of the future. I believe that it is our duty to influence the future through our own actions and choices. Caring for others, humanity and kindness are values that we have implemented as a working group. May the future be in line with our actions,” says the play’s director Laura Ikonen.
It is the year 2545 and the world as we know it no longer exists. Young Aava lives her closed and joyless everyday life in a concrete city that has been spared from the flood, where knowledge and development are forbidden. Gradually, however, the façade created by the community begins to crumble. The touching and topical play tells about future choices and society’s values. Does Aava dare to take responsibility into its own hands and work for a better future? What if there is even a tiny bit of hope somewhere?
The stage will feature Jakomäki’s own adult theatre group Hilkat ja Hukat, as well as children and young people from Jakomäki. The intense music performed by the live band is composed by Timo Oiva. The play, written by Janne Puustinen , is directed by Laura Ikonen, and the set and costumes are designed by Jonna Kuittinen. The choreography is by Sarppa Seppänen, and the conductor is Aleksi Kinnunen.
The Great Silence – A Performance of a Possible Future is a co-production of the Helsinki City Theatre, the North Helsinki Band School and Culture Helsinki Malmitalo.
The performance lasts approximately 1 h 30 min and is suitable for children over 10 years of age.
Performances at Malmitalo on 17 May at 7 pm, 18 May at 7 pm and 19 May at 3 pm.
Tickets (5€) to Malmitalo performances www.lippu.fi or from Malmitalo’s ticket office (Ala-Malmin tori 1, ticket office open 1 hour before the screening/Saturdays 13-18)
Performances in Studio Pasila on 22 May at 7 pm and on 23 May at 7 pm.
Tickets (5€) to studio Pasila’s performances www.lippu.fi or from studio Pasila’s ticket office 1 hour before the performance or from the City Theatre’s 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.)
More information about the performance and the project: audience worker Jenny Jumppanen, jenny.jumppanen@hkt.fi, 0406529932 and www.facebook.com/paaroolissajakomaki