Kaj Korkea-aho’s The Red Room premieres / Kaj Korkea-aho’s The Red Room premieres at Lilla Teatern

The main character, Kaj Erik, is a young writer who, in a newspaper advertisement, promises to write a book in exchange for an affordable home. An elderly gentleman named Aimo Kangas offers an interesting apartment at a nice address and a writing assignment to write down his life story.  Soon the young man notices that more is expected of him than is explicit. He is drawn into a labyrinth of lust and power in a nocturnal Helsinki, where dominance and submission are like iron to magnet.

“Aimo Kangas is the character I have had the hardest time letting go of, I still think about him often. His power over Kaj Erik in the book partly reflects his power over me as a writer, his story must be told, but then he wants something more as well. It will be both amazing and eerie to see him on stage,” says author Kaj Korkea-aho.

“It has been exciting to realize how submission and dominance are connected, how enjoyable it can be to submit to someone else if you get to define the rules of the game yourself. How closely the human need for control is connected to the need to lose all control. And the subtle difference between play and violence, or between pain and pleasure,” says Milja Sarkola, director.

The language of the performance is Swedish, but Finnish is also included. The performance is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.

The cast includes Riko Eklundh and Mikko Kauppila, as well as Minni Gråhn, Aino Seppo, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius.

Milja Sarkola has translated Tuomas Timonen’s dramatization. K. Rasila is responsible for the set design and Samu-Jussi Koski for the costumes. Pekka Pitkänen is a lighting and video designer and Aleksi Saura is a sound designer and composer. Mask by Pia Kähkönen.

The performance is part of Milja Sarkola’s trilogy at the Helsinki City Theatre (Pajtim Statovci, Tuomas Timonen’s Bolla 2021, Laura Lehtola’s I Chose You 2022).

Kaj Korkea-aho is a Finnish-Swedish author, columnist and comedian. Prior to the Red Room, he published the novels Se till mig som liten är (2009), Gräset är mörkare på andra sidan (2012) and Onda boken (2015). The latter has been translated into six languages.

The Red Room was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2022 and the Runeberg Prize 2022.

Check out the background material we have collected on the Lilla Teatern website.

The Red Room, premiere 14.9.2023 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki

Tickets: normal price 35 €, student tickets 17,50 € (Mon-Thu) pensioner price 32 € (Mon-Thu) #rödarummet @lillateatern

Press images are available in the image bank and press releases in the press room. Pictured in the press release are Mikko Kauppila and Riko Eklundh. Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen.

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

Helsinki City Theatre, First Line 2, 00530 Helsinki

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Kaj Korkea-aho’s The Red Room premieres at Lilla Teatern

Kaj Korkea-aho’s acclaimed novel Röda rummet (The Red Room, 2021) will premiere at Lilla Teatern on 14 September. The play, which explores power structures, is directed by award-winning Milja Sarkola and dramatised by Tuomas Timonen. The main roles are played by Riko Eklundh and Mikko Kauppila.

The main character, Kaj Erik, is a writer who, in a newspaper advertisement, promises to write a book as part of a barter for an affordable apartment. An older gentleman named Aimo Kangas offers an interesting apartment in an upscale area, as well as a writing assignment for writing his life story. Soon, the young man realizes that more is expected of him than what has been said out loud. He is drawn into a labyrinth of lust and power in nocturnal Helsinki, where dominance and submission act like a magnet.

“Aimo Kangas is a character in the novel who has been the hardest thing to let go of, I still think about him often. His influence on Kaj Erik partly reflects his influence on me as a writer. His story needs to be told, but he also wants more. It’s both great and creepy to see him on stage,” says author Kaj Korkea-aho.

The human need for control is closely related to the need to lose control. The difference between play and violence, or between pain and pleasure, is subtle,” says director Milja Sarkola.

The language of the performance is Swedish, but Finnish is also spoken in the performance. The performance will be subtitled in Swedish and Finnish using the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.

The main roles are played by Riko Eklundh and Mikko Kauppila. In addition, Minni Gråhn, Aino Seppo, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius will be seen on stage.

Milja Sarkola has translated Tuomas Timonen’s dramatisation into Swedish. The set design of the play was designed by K. Rasila and the costumes by Samu-Jussi Koski. Pekka Pitkänen is responsible for the lighting and video design and Aleksi Saura for the composition and sound design. The camouflage was designed by Pia Kähkönen.

The performance is part of Milja Sarkola’s Helsinki City Theatre trilogy (Pajtim Statovci, Tuomas Timonen Bolla, 2021 and Laura Lehtola’s I Chose You, 2022).

Kaj Korkea-aho is a Finnish-Swedish writer, columnist and comedian. Prior to the Red Room, she has published the novels Katso minuun pienehen (2009), Darker Beyond (2012) and Paha kirja (2015). The latter has been translated into six languages.

The Red Room was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2022 and the Runeberg Prize in the same year.

Check out the background material of the performance on the performance’s website

Röda rummet, premiere 14.9.2023 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki

Tickets: basic ticket €35, student ticket €17.50 (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket €32 (Mon-Thu). #rödarummet @lillateatern

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom. In the photo of the press release, Mikko Kauppila and Riko Eklundh. Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:

Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050-357 4250

Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki