A Fantasy About the Hard Things in Life
14.6.2017
The HYPE-collective joins Tampere Theatre Festival with their performance Father Fucker, which is the third production of actress-director Sara Melleri. Father Fucker tells the story of two teenage girls who cope with the nearing death of their father by escaping into a fantasy world. Everything takes place in the dying body of the girls’ father, in the middle of giant internal organs.
The performance is based on Melleri’s own childhood plays and fictional magazine articles. It ponders about patriarchalism and deconstructs the myth of the male artist, among other things. The often narrow gender norms are also turned upside down: in this play a man can also be a girl, no questions asked.
The lead characters in Father Fucker are top models Liv and Claudia Versace, performed by Melleri herself and Markku Haussila. Haussila is known as a dancer and choreographer, but over the last few years he has concentrated on acting and making his own music. Haussila says he has always been a fan of female roles, so it is very interesting for him to step into the role of a young woman.
”I have spent too much of my life thinking about how to hide my feminine side on stage so that I would be more believable as a man. I still don’t see the point in that, it is the worst waste of time. I love being Claudia Versace, she’s so amazing”, Haussila says.
Haussila and Melleri have known each other since childhood, and have also made theatre together before. Melleri has described Father Fucker as a complement to their friendship – it is their own fantasy that they’ve created from the hard things in life.
Father Fucker skilfully combines different forms of expression, such as music, theatre and live-installations. According to Haussila, the combination of different forms of expression gives more liberties and freedom to the performers.
Haussila tells that the HYPE-collective has made a never-seen-before performance that has no point of comparison. He says that Father Fucker is the best thing he has ever had the chance to do, and hopes that as many people as possible will have the chance to see it.
Father Fucker TTT Kellariteatteri Monday 7.8. 19:00 and Tuesday 8.8. 13:30 (performed in English)
- Eveliina Suuniitty
- Translated by Iida Uuppo