The sense of security crumbles in a housing company in Töölö – The Unauthorised to premiere at Lillan / The Feeling of Safety Crumbles in Töölöläisessa taloyhtiössa – The Unauthorised Ones premieres in Lillan
Helsinki City Theatre’s autumn at Lilla Teatern begins with Swedish horror writer John Ajvide Lindqvist’s contemporary satire The Unauthorized. With warm humour, the play depicts current topics such as insecurity and fear of the unknown. The performance is David Sandqvist’s directorial debut as Lilla Teatern’s artistic director and the ensemble includes Sampo Sarkola, who has not been on stage much since 2016.
The plot takes place in a housing company at Töölö Market Square, where neighbours have gathered to discuss unauthorised persons moving around the building. The conversation quickly drifts away from the subject matter as rumours and memories grow into truths and a sense of threat takes over the room.
“The core of the play is in its title: the fear of the others. Through black humour, a society characterised by anxiety is depicted, where the need for security turns into paranoia. The result is both hysterically funny and eerily topical,” describes director David Sandqvist.
Sandqvist took over as Lilla Teatern’s artistic director in August. He is a frequently hired director and his latest directors include: This is NOT Stalker (Sirius Teatern) and Flamingonpunainen unelma (Teatteri Jurkka). This autumn, he will also direct Pelle No-Tail for the Swedish Theatre.
The role of Töölö resident Bosse is played by Sampo Sarkola, who left the theatre stages in 2016. It was Sandqvist’s direction of Skymning 41 at Lilla Teatern last year that awakened the desire to play theatre again in Sarkola.
“I liked David’s direction, the dramatization and the set design. So I told him to get in touch if he ever needs a middle-aged man who no longer wants to do somersaults on stage. And he did, faster than expected,” says Sarkola.
John Ajvide Lindqvist is an award-winning Swedish author who has been translated into over 30 languages. His novels have been made into films and his plays have been performed around the world. In 2014, Lillan staged his play An Informal Conversation about the Current Situation.
The Unauthorized is inspired by authentic interviews with people living around Mariatorget in Stockholm.
On stage we see Aksinja Lommi, Mawlawi Rahem, Pia Runnakko, Sampo Sarkola and Joachim Wigelius.
Author John Ajvide Lindqvist. The director is David Sandqvist. Set design and costume design by K Rasila. The lighting design is by Ville Aaltonen and the sound design by Niklas Lundström. The mask design is created by Jutta Kainulainen and the dramaturg is Henna Piirto.
Read the interview with director David Sandqvist on Lilla Teatern’s website: https://lillateatern.fi/david-sandqvist-satir-sokrates-och-spurs/ The Unauthorized, Finnish premiere 5.9.2026 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, Helsinki.
Tickets: normal price €43, student price €21.50 (Mon–Thu), pensioner price €40 (Mon–Thu).
#deobehoriga @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 at noon. 9–17. Ticket office on First Line 2, Mon–Fri at noon. 12–17, Djurgårdsvägen 5 and the ticket offices at the other stages open one hour before the performance starts on the stage in question. Lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9–19 tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge/mta) www.hkt.fi
Press images are available in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
Pictured in the press release: Sampo Sarkola, Mawlawi Rahem, Joachim Wigelius, Aksinja Lommi and Pia Runnakko. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen, photo editing by Kim Sinisalo.
Further information, press tickets and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250.
Sense of security crumbles in a housing company in Töölö – De oõiguste premieres in LillanHelsinki City Theatre’s autumn at Lilla Teatern begins with the contemporary satire De obehöriga by Swedish horror writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. The play uses warm humour to deal with topical issues, such as insecurity and fear of the unknown. The performance is David Sandqvist’s first direction as Lillan’s artistic director, and Sampo Sarkola, who has hardly been seen on theatre stages since 2016, will be seen on stage.
The events take place in a housing company located on Töölöntori Square, whose residents have gathered to talk about unauthorised persons moving around the building. The discussion quickly gets sidetracked when rumours and memories become true and a sense of threat takes over.
“The central idea of the play is crystallized in its title – the fear of the unknown and the stranger. Through black humour, a society tinged with concern is presented, where the longing for security turns into paranoia. The end result is both hysterically funny and frighteningly topical at the same time,” says director David Sandqvist.
Sandqvist started as the artistic director of Lilla Teatern in August. He is a sought-after director, whose latest works include This is NOT Stalker (Sirius Teatern) and Flamingo Red Dream (Teatteri Jurkka). This autumn, he will also direct a performance of Pelle Svanslös at the Swedish Theatre.
The role of Bosse, a resident of the Töölö House, is played by Sampo Sarkola, who left the theatre stage in 2016. Sandqvist’s direction of Skymning 41 at Lilla Teatern last year sparked Sarkola’s interest in returning to the stage.
“I liked David’s direction and the dramatization and set design of the performance. I asked him to contact me if he ever needed a middle-aged man who no longer wanted to do somersaults on stage. And so he did, faster than I expected,” Sarkola says.
John Ajvide Lindqvist is an award-winning Swedish author whose works have been translated into more than 30 languages. His novels have been made into films, and his plays have been performed around the world. The last time Ajvide Lindqvist’s play Ett informellt samtal om den aktuell situation was seen at Lilla Teatern was in 2014. The Unauthorised is based on interviews with people living in the vicinity of Mariatorget in Stockholm.
The play features Aksinja Lommi, Mawlawi Rahem, Pia Runnakko, Sampo Sarkola and Joachim Wigelius.
Author John Ajvide Lindqvist, directed by David Sandqvist, set and costume design by K Rasila. The lighting design is by Ville Aaltonen and the sound design by Niklas Lundström. The camouflage was designed by Jutta Kainulainen, and the dramaturg was Henna Piirto.
Read the interview with director David Sandqvist on Lilla Teatern’s website: https://lillateatern.fi/david-sandqvist-satir-sokrates-och-spurs/ De obehöriga premieres on 5.9.2026 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, Helsinki.
Tickets: basic ticket €43, student ticket €21.50 (Mon–Thu), pensioner ticket €40 (Mon–Thu).
#deobehoriga @lilla.teatern @hktfi
Performed in Swedish. The performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish using the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.
Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket office Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5 and other stages ticket sales always one hour before the event in question. stage performances and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi
Press photos can be found in the media bank and press releases in the newsroom.
In the photo: Sampo Sarkola, Mawlawi Rahem, Joachim Wigelius, Aksinja Lommi and Pia Runnakko. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen, photo edited by Kim Sinisalo.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250.