Theater Review | The honest novelty play describes the experiences of Finland’s second largest minority

Drama. Tuvi toas, or pulu in the room. Regular performance on 19 September 2024 at the Q theater. Text and direction by Anna Jaanisoo. ★★★★

Finnish theater has recently admirably woken up to the fact that Finns have different backgrounds. But there is one blind spot in my opinion. Namely, generational experiences. Then, driven by autopilot, the thought that everyone experienced things the same way in the 1990s and early 2000s often pops up.

That’s why it’s great that the children of the Depression are seen as a counterweight in the Q-theater To a new rise – for the generation description Anna Jaanisoon written and directed by Tuvi toas, or pulu in the room. Because standing in line at Migri and hiding one’s mother tongue are experiences for generations for countless Finns.

The story jumps between the present of the pregnant main character and her childhood memories of the 90s. The knowledge that comes as a surprise to the main character that according to the law he should have applied for citizenship 20 years ago acts as a kind of watershed. So who exactly is he?

Finnish-Estonian Maria performing Anna-Sofia Tuominen precise emotional description runs through the performance as a red thread. Other Actors skilfully hired a bunch of Finnish and Estonian guys. Perhaps the most moving of them is the Estonian grandmother, a strict survivor, recognizable to Tallinn visitors.

The disparity in living standards, different customs, prejudices and specifically environmental microaggressions towards Estonians are precisely targeted. Estonian goes from Finn… almost.

It is not a particularly incriminating show, because the main character also sees faults in the Estonians’ ways, such as the harsh upbringing. What kind of collective trauma, for example, the sinking of Estonia, has been for Finno-Estonians. So big that it brings out memories at turning points in life, such as childbirth.

Ada Halonen the lighting design adds a hint of ethereality to the angular stage shots and Annukka Pykälainen the set is a cavalcade of many different intermediate spaces – waiting room, receptionist’s desk, ship, hotel – such that the performance lives in it as if there was no set at all.

These unpleasant conditions often tell the harsh truth that the guest is not really that welcome in Finland.

Tuvi toas presents fragments of a fragmented identity. It doesn’t reveal, because after the show you don’t really know much about the main character. You won’t be ready, but your understanding of yourself and the world grows. Also the viewer, I argue.

Anna Jaanisoo (b. 1985) is a director and playwright who graduated from the Theater Academy in 2024 and was born in Tallinn.

Jaanisoo’s bachelor’s thesis, presented in Puoli Q in 2022 A show for adults contained a pared-down focus on the bold subject of children’s sexuality.

Even if the new work is plagued by monotony, and even if the director’s palette of expression doesn’t seem very nuanced yet, what carries is a passionate and honest effort to capture the experiences of being a stranger. And finally also about the richness that two different cultures can bring. Tuvi toas, or pulu in the room contains the glow and magic characteristic of a first edition.

Playwright Rasmus Arikka, set design by Annukka Pykäläinen, costume design by Hilla Ruuska, lighting design by Ada Halonen, sound design and music by Timo Tikka. Starring Kate Lusenberg, Eeva Mäkinen, Olli Riipinen and Anna-Sofia Tuominen.

Correction September 20 at 16:56: Contrary to what was written earlier in the story, the play is about Finno-Estonians, not Estonian Finns.