The Game Trail, directed by Lauri Maijala, is a cruel tale of the end of innocence

The autumn season on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre will be opened by Fassbinder’s timeless family tragedy Wildwechsel (1971), also known as Fassbinder’s film and touching with its powerful themes, on 4 September. The play, written by Franz Xaver Kroetz, has been translated into Finnish by Vesa Tapio Valo and directed by Lauri Maijala.

Opening the autumn programme on the Helsinki City Theatre’s small stage, Riistapolku is the story of an ordinary middle-class family who are forced to face an unexpected tragedy. The family’s 13-year-old daughter Hanni falls in love with 19-year-old Franz. The parents oppose and are ashamed of the relationship, but the daughter refuses to give up her first love. The young man is convicted of his relationship with a minor, but after the punishment, the young people continue to meet them, and the events accelerate towards a tragic end.

“The Game Trail is a story about forbidden first love. It forces the viewer to ask, what is true love and who defines it? It is a story about the difficulty of growing up, the gap between generations, shame and dreams in a dreamless world. The Game Trail shows how short the journey is from civilization to barbarism. How easy it is not to judge – until an unexpected tragedy happens to you. How does it feel when you no longer recognize the one you loved the most – when strange eyes are looking at you from a familiar face?”, says director Lauri Maijala.

The young couple is played by first-time guests at HKT, e.g. Ella Mettänen , known from the Group Theatre and Theatre Jurkka, and this year’s Jussi Award winner Paavo Kinnunen. The roles of the parents are played by Risto Kaskilahti and Ursula Salo , and the other roles in the play are played by Pekka Huotari.

The set design for the performance, which takes place in a small industrial town in the 1970s, was designed by Antti Mattila and the costumes by Elina Kolehmainen. The lighting design is by Kari Leppälä and the sound design by Aleksi Saura. The camouflage and hairstyles were designed by Henri Karjalainen.

German writer Franz Xaver Kroetz is known for his harsh realism and terse dialogue. He wrote The Game Trail at the age of 21, and the play is a prime example of the themes and themes that have brought him to world fame. Kroetz has also acted in several of his plays, directing them for stage, television and radio. In addition to plays, he has written novels and poetry. Kroetz has received several awards for his work, including the Bertolt Brecht Prize for Literature and the German Federal Order of Honor.

The Game Trail is also known as Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film adaptation from 1972.

Premiere of Riistapolku 4.9.2019 at 7 pm on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5)
Tickets: €19.50 – €39 (incl. pm)

#riistapolku #hktfi

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, Communications Officer Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788

Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki