Newly written drama comedy opens Lillan’s game year / New drama comedy opens Lillan’s autumn season

Lilla Teatern begins its season with Gunilla Hemming’s newly written drama comedy The Marriage Thing , which premieres on 11.9. The play is a deep dive into the confusion that the main character Silja suffers after the marriage ends, the children have flown out of the nest and the shared home is also to be emptied. Silja escapes the ruins of her old life and seeks out her own married mother to take time out at the cottage and try to find a new direction in life. But instead of finding comfort and peace, she is thrown into a day full of surprises and confusion. It’s pitch black and heartbreakingly comical, it’s about misunderstandings, secrets, betrayal and tears and putting band-aids – but fundamentally about our need to belong together and feel that we can be loved.

“Gunilla Hemming is a writer who gives a voice to several generations of women. She writes both with a high recognition factor and has a warm, but sharp sense of humour. In The Marriage Thing , she shines as a playwright and this performance is a proud start to this year’s repertoire. Hemming takes the pulse of our time’s confusion about love, gender and family with great precision. It’s both fun and moving, just as theatre should be at its best,” says Lilla Teatern’s artistic director Marina Meinander.

The performance is directed by Cris af Enehielm, who has also designed the costumes for his star-studded ensemble.  Laila Björkstam plays Silja’s mother and returns to Lilla Teatern after a full 22 years. Björkstam was part of Lillan’s permanent ensemble for several years in the 70s and 80s.  Jonna Järnefelt plays Silja and Silja’s husband is played by Carl-Kristian Rundman. The ensemble also includes Joachim Wigelius , who plays the mother’s lover, who is 25 years younger, and Oksana Lommi , who is doing her theatre academy internship in the role of the lover’s daughter.

“It’s a blessing to be able to work with such a coordinated ensemble around Gunilla Hemming’s multi-layered text,” says director Cris af Enehielm.

The set design is by Markus Tsokkinen, the sound design by Niklas Lundström and the lighting design by Ville Aaltonen.

The Marriage Thing, premiere 11.9 at. 19 at Lilla Teatern (Yrjönkatu 30)

Tickets: 16 – 34 € (incl. so)

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Lilla Teatern opens its autumn season with Gunilla Hemming’s new drama comedy Äktenskapsgrejen on 11 September.

The performance dives into the new life situation of the main character Silja. The marriage is over, the children have left the nest and the former home must be emptied. To get a break from everyday life and something new to think about, she goes to the family’s summer cottage for the weekend. Instead of comfort and peace, the coming day is full of surprises and chaos. The atmosphere is pitch black and at the same time heartbreakingly comical. Misunderstandings, family secrets, abandonments, tears come up – and at its core, it’s about our need to belong together and feel loved.

“Gunilla Hemming gives a voice to several women in several generations. He writes in a relatable way and with a warm but sharp sense of humour. In Äktenskapsgrejen , she shines as a dramatist, and the performance is a handsome start to this performance year. Hemming describes in detail current issues related to love, gender and family. It’s both fun and harrowing, in other words, what theatre is at its best,” says Marina Meinander, Artistic Director of Lilla Teatern.

The play is directed by Cris af Enehielm, who also designed the costumes for the star actors. Jonna Järnefelt plays the main character Silja, and the other roles are played by Laila Björkstam , who returns to the stage at Lillan after 22 years, as well as Carl-Kristian Rundman, Joachim Wigelius and Oksana Lommi.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to work with such an interactive ensemble with such a multidimensional text,” says director Cris af Enehielm.

The set design is by Markus Tsokkinen, the sound design is by Niklas Lundström and the lighting design is by Ville Aaltonen.

The premiere of Marriage Stuff 11.9 at. 19 at Lilla Teatern (Yrjönkatu 30). Tickets: 16 – 34 € (incl. pm)

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Pictures can be found in the image bank.