Breaking Language Barriers
3.8.2018
Performances Suitable for English-speaking Audiences
You don’t speak Finnish? No worries, there's still plenty for you to see!
The Tampere Theatre Festival will be organized for the 50th time on 6th–12th of August 2018, and this year’s Main Programme celebrates love in all its shapes and forms. Once again, the Festival has plenty to offer also for non-Finnish-speaking audiences: we have listed the Main Programme performances suitable for English-speaking audiences below. There is also a wide range of performances suitable for non-Finnish-speakers in our other programmes, such as the Programme Tent, OFF Tampere and The Great Nocturnal Happening!
Finnish Performances with English Subtitles
Amanda Palo & Olga Palo’s Nutcase tells the story of a broken human being. In a world where some people are free to take no responsibility for their actions, others have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. Performed in Finnish, subtitled in English.
Focusing on Finnish theatre legend Jouko Turkka (1942–2016), Turkka Dies is director Ruusu Haarla and actress Julia Lappalainen’s deconstruction of both man and myth. Performed in Finnish, subtitled in English.
Based on Herman Melville’s novel, I Would Prefer Not To by Svenska Teatern is a story about resistance, social responsibility and adjustment. A meticulous Wall Street clerk stops working completely. No more copying. No more proofreading. Performed in Swedish and Finnish, subtitled in English and Finnish.
Old Masters is director Minna Leino’s warmly sensitive and humbly ironic interpretation of Thomas Bernhard’s novel. A painting in a museum is being observed by renowned music critic Reger, who is being observed by author and philosopher Atzbacher, who in turn is being observed by Irrsigler, the gallery attendant. Performed in Finnish, subtitled in English.
Performances in English
The Audition (for the Role of Stephen King in the Theory of Everything) by LizArt Productions & toxic dreams brings up the issues of ownership, rights and artistic license. To whom does the stage belong? How are disabilities portrayed on stage? Performed in English.
Cock, Cock.. Who’s There? is an award-winning portrayal of the reconstruction of a sexual identity after being raped. Filmmaker and performance artist Samira Elagoz examines the full spectrum of male–female relations from intimacy to brutality. Performed in English.
Performances Suitable for Everyone Regardless of Language
Paris de Nuit by the Recirquel Company Budapest brings the gloriously sensational decadence of 1930s Montmartre back to life as the spectacular circus performers, dancers and musicians of Paris de Nuit take the stage at Tampere Hall.
Night of the Moles by Nanterre-Amadiers – Centre dramatique national is a lyrical rock-and-roll extravaganza featuring an endearing group of moles. It’s a dive into a surreal, subterranean world. The production relies on a combination of performance art, music, poetry and installation to create an enigmatic environment that incites interpretation. No dialogue.
Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin’s sensual adaptation of Anna Karenina is anchored in the rhythms and movement material of flamenco. The apocalyptic orchestra is playing the last waltz as the doomsday clock nears midnight.
A Taste of Other European Languages with English Subtitles
Chekhov by dollardaddy’s, an up-and-coming Hungarian theatre company, blurs the lines between fiction and reality. The performance is an unconventional mash-up of several of the Russian master’s plays. Performed in Hungarian, subtitled in Finnish and English.
Macbettu, a unique take on Shakespeare’s classic play by Sardegna Teatro & Compagnia Teatropersona, is a beautiful, physical performance honed to minimalist perfection. Performed in Sardinian, subtitled in Finnish and English.
Stop Acting Now is a documentary drama film in which the actors of Wunderbaum, a theatre company from Rotterdam, take to the streets in an effort to change the world. But what happens when somebody starts an activity group for ’basic optimists’ in a low-income area? Or when someone opens a Japanese-style cry bar to oppose overly positive thinking? Movie in Dutch, subtitled in English.
Want to See a Performance That’s Only in Finnish?
We also offer synopses written in English that will help you follow the storylines of Finnish-only performances! Synopses for the following performances will be available at the venues: The Girls 1918, Blood Roses, Scenes from a Marriage, Kikka Fan Club, The Legend of the Tiny Bone, Part IV Rán, Baikal Brothers Co