Pirkanmaa Dance Centre, Tampere Theatre & Teatteri NEO Orlando, oodi luonnolle

Tampere Theatre, the Pirkanmaa Dance Centre, and Teatteri NEO (Setlementti Tampere) are joining forces to create a lyricized dance performance titled Orlando, oodi luonnolle. The performance explores environmental emotions and it will premiere on December 12th at Tampere Theatre’s Frenckell Stage.

The lyricized dance performance has been designed with visually impaired audiences in mind. It features creative descriptions of movement – speech and sound that narrate the events on stage.

The performance carries the audience dreamlike through seasons, landscapes, and emotions that transform like the weather: unpredictably, powerfully, and inevitably. Central to the work are sensations connected to nature and the changing seasons: What does the wind feel like on the skin? How does water flow through one’s fingers?

The performance draws inspiration from nature and the seasons, Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando, and the grief and other emotions stirred by today’s ecological crisis.

The choreography and direction are by Wilhelmina Ojanen, with Tommi Kainulainen responsible for dramaturgy and Finnish translation. The set design is a collaboration between the working group and Tampere Theatre’s set workshop, with costume design by Silja Kaarne. Sound design is by Saija Raskulla, and lights and video design by Jaakko Sirainen. Milla Lindh from The Finnish Deafblind Association serves as the accessibility consultant, and Sanna Neuvonen from Teatteri NEO as the mentor for social and care support.

The cast features Lasse Viitamäki from Tampere Theatre, Kardo Shiwan, dancer-actor from the Pirkanmaa Dance Centre, and Teatteri NEO actors Noora Hakala, Mari Heinilä, Leevi Paalanen, and artistic support mentor Riikka Papunen.

The Orlando project is a collaboration between Tampere Theatre, Teatteri NEO, and Pirkanmaa Dance Centre, supported by the New Classics Fund.