The Festival programme has now been published!
Dear Festival friends,
Once upon a time there was a Children’s Theatre Festival that grew into the oldest theatre festival in Finland and one of the biggest in Europe for young audiences. During the early years, Festival shows were performed in gym halls of day care centers and schools. Arja Huotari, Director of Cultural Centre Valve, remembers the early days being very interesting:”Various different kinds of facilities were made into theatre spaces! There we were covering the windows with black bin liners”, she recalls. Vihreä Omena Theatre was chosen as the first Festival visitor because it was the best known professional theatre in the 1980s with some repertoire for children. Then recession hit theatre making and society in general in the early 90s. Yrjö-Juhani Renvall saved the Festival from financial cuts and threat of closure by bringing it into the care of Oulu City Theatre. The Festival has grown slowly into one of the most remarkable forums of its kind in Finland and also Europe.
Clowning, acrobatics and philosophy
The 31. Oulu Children's Theatre Festival lives in time. Finnish circus has renewed itself and flourished into a new bloom during the last few years. Circus is also the theme of the coming Festival, which shows in visuality and complimentary activities and reflects also in the main programme. The Festival is loaded with top Finnish circus acts, clownery, air acrobatics, fabulous international shows for babies, philosophical performances for youth and even radiodrama.
The opening show of the Festival is Ilona Jäntti's Muualla , which combines dance, animation and acrobatics. Main Stage Star Guest is an internationally successful Finnish circus act Petit Mal by Race Horse Company. Other circus related performances in the programme are Circo Aero's Herra Bartokin sirkus, clown shows by Dan Söderholm and Taina Iso-Mäki, Cirque Koo's Suhde and Oulun Tähtisirkus' Titaanit.
24 different shows across town
In addition to Finnish festival guests, performers are also arriving from Spain, Estonia, Hungary and Sweden. Finnish premieres will be presented by Spanish DA.TE Danza, whose Rio de Luna will charm all the little folk at Cultural Centre Valve, Estonian VAT Teaterin and Hungarian Kolibri Theatre with their coproduction called HELP! and a Swedish dance theatre performance for babies called Ai hei vauva by Minna Krook Dans. Oulu based Puppet Theatre company Akseli Klonk's world premiere Soita minulle, Kukka Kaalinen, is based on a children's book by Sari Peltoniemi.
Other Festival productions are Teatteri Kurahousukirahvi's Purkkipurkkipurkki, Linnateatteri's Suuri urheiluesitys, based on popular children's books by Mauri Kunnas, Kokkola City Theatre's warmhearted Vaavin salattu elämä, Oulu Arts School's Nuttu nurin, onni oikein, Teatterikone's Foorumin nuoret and Rimpparemmin dance theatre performance Minä ja kuu. Puppet Theatre Reaktori's visit offers two different shows: Puppet theatre comedy Nenä for the whole family and Ovimikko monologue for young people. Oulu City Theatre's own productions at the Festival are children's favourite Viiru ja Pesonen and a classic by Dostojevsky; Crime and Punishment presents questions about humanity facing each new generation. Also featuring in the programme are colour baths for babies, circus education, a discussion about the current state of Finnish theatre for children and young people, Festival flea market and circus workshops: ahead of us is a true feast of performance arts! Enjoy.