Mart Kangro’s new play focuses on the absurdity of everyday life in the current time. Expectations for personal happiness are forever high, while the present moment feels confusing. As a regular person, one would simply like to mind their own business but there are too many things to deal with, too many things to be aware of and to form an opinion of. Is it possible to stay present in one’s time, in one’s life? 

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Human Anatomy

Journey to the End of the Forest is based on the short story Hunters of Ohemäe by Juhan Jaik, a mysterious writer from South of Estonia. On an ordinary day, a couple of villagers go to the forest and never return. The old grudge against the forest raises its head again. Preparations are made for an expedition that should clear things up and establish power hierarchies for good. But something goes wrong. The forest does not surrender without a fight.

This is a play for people who long for the soft touch of storytelling. This is a play for people who expect theatre to offer an emotional rush and experimental acting. This is a play for people who like to give contemporary context to everything happening on the stage. This is a play for people who want to sit in the dark in the middle of a workweek, be led someplace that does not really exist and be told about something that nevertheless could always happen.

Lauri Lagle's newest production tells a story from the beginning to the end but also offers forays and digressions. The characters are fleshed out in increasing detail, moments gain volume, the story simmers and swells. Gather around! Fan out! Tell me, dog, what did you see in the forest! Tell me now!

Premiere: 17 August 2023 at the Chamber Hall of Sakala 3 Teatrimaja.

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Journey to the End of the Forest

3SISTERS is inspired by several sources, one of them being Anton Chekhov's classic Three Sisters. However, it has become clear that what got us here, is no longer taking us forward. In our culture, Russia's aggression towards Ukraine has given a completely different meaning to the work of Russian literature, where the phrase: "To Moscow! To Moscow! To Moscow!" no longer easily lends itself to new and credible subtexts, despite artistic quests and pursuits. Yet, we take a risk and strike a nerve, in order to not become complacent. Three Sisters carries the paradox evident in both the human nature and nations – that the idea of a better human and a dream of a happy life still leads to violence and war, to evisceration of life. Neither culture, education, art, religion, progress, nor faith, hope and love has made a difference. Once again, we end up in a humanly unbearable situation, where we have to support the war. We have to expect victory. The rhythmic march of the army has accompanied humanity throughout history and in the end, affects everything we hold dear... We do not know if it is, in fact, art's task to give hope. But paradoxes like these inevitably make us look at ourselves, they concern each and every one of us. Art allows us to do that.

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3SISTERS

PARTY IN A STRANGER’S FLAT

How much of Ukrainian cultural heritage is unknown to us? What is the Ukrainian identity like, how and who have shaped it? How has Ukraine become a country that plays such a huge role in European history in this crucial moment?
We looked into the identity of Ukraine and discovered a lot. There have been attempts to erase Ukrainian history, abolish the Ukrainian language and hijack its culture. Yet they have persisted and still do. We know what Ukrainians are fighting for but what drives them? What do they need to overcome? These questions led our process.
Under the guidance of Anu Lamp, the class of 2024 of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre researched Ukrainian cultural heritage and found their highlights.

"What can we, outside observers do against violence? We have no other choice but to educate ourselves and not let evil lead us." /Anu Lamp/

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Discovering Ukraine

EIDOS is a conditional moment, placing the human into a polar setting, oscillating between gloom and lightness. The performance aims to break the human apart, both physically and mentally, to observe and contemplate the process, only to build them up again. The Greek word “eidos” translates to “form” that aspires towards a clean and clearly defined idea – this undertaking is an attempt to force our humanity into these ideals. The central players of the performance are the space that strives to act as a depressing soil, the video that opens a window to another possible reality, and the human who rises from the soil and reaches for the stars. In this earthly existence, there are numerous depressing and dark phenomena we all experience in some way – loss, death, birth, blindedness, desire, anger, love. EIDOS will be a fragile thread weaving these inevitabilities together to create an arc that in the end can only shoot for the sun – to cease, to end and to find peace.

EIDOS is inspired by questions like: What is the shell we inhabit? Where does "I" begin and where does it end? What kind of pieces of humanity do we need to make up a whole? What in us is superfluous and what have we dragged along for far too long? What is the lifeblood that flows in us and keeps us going?

EIDOS is born at a time, where the world around us is broken into pieces and is becoming increasingly incomprehensible. The performance aims to create a space-time for the audience, where they can sense and reflect on all the aspects of being human in their beauty and pain.

Premiere: 27 October 2023 at the Chamber Hall of Sakala 3 Teatrimaja.

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EIDOS

“Deus Doloris Ignisque”
“God of Pain and Fire”

Breathe.. Breathe in the ignited air.
Your soul flares up with each Breath.
We must..
We must smother everything which fire can’t consume.
We must smother the spirit.
Smother the Joy & Sorrow.
The Humanity in us must be destroyed.
By the Fire.
Raise your Arms and let the drum rumble.
A flash without meaning.
Let it out and Breathe it in.
None of Us.. really matter.

Rise alone and Breathe united.
We must burn 
The space between Us.
Let us embrace the Sudden Flash on our faces.

 – Deus Doloris Ignisque


We are igniting anew the Culture House of Kopli on Kopli street 93 – a former meeting place.

You are invited to a meeting, a gathering, a theatre performance, a congress, a night at the salon. 

"What is it about fire that is so attracting? What is it that captivates both the young and the old? It is perpetual motion which men have always wanted to create but never managed. Or almost perpetual motion. If you let the fire burn, it will burn until the end of our lifetimes. What is fire? It is a mystery. Scientists flaunt something about friction and molecules. Actually they don’t really know. Its real beauty of fire is that it destroys all responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then let’s burn it – clean, quick, certain; nothing left to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic and practical."

Bring only yourselves, you will leave without obtaining anything.

____

Jarmo Reha is a freelancing theatre director, actor and performance artist. 
As a performance artist, Reha has worked with Emer Värk on the performance “You Will See So Many Pretty Things” – Kanuti Gildi SAAL (2019) and also in his author piece “WhiteWash” – Vabalava (2020), for which Reha was nominated for the national theatre prize in performing arts. The first performance as a director by Reha was “Oomen” (2018), which was awarded the national theatre prize for new dramaturgy. 
Internationally Reha has collaborated with a Belgian theatre director Armel Roussel with whom he has created a solo performance “Long live the life that burns the chest” (2019) and “Ether/After” (2022), where Reha is participating as a co-creator and an actor.

“Deus Doloris Ignisque” is Reha’s third piece as a director.

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Divide et Impera*                                                                                     jaga ja valitse

"Only Rivers Flow Freely" is a concert about people. Yes, a concert. A continuous musical journey that rocks, screams, caresses, yearns, disappoints, dreams. Drums, guitars, pan flutes and rubber ball are being played. Hands are crossed on the chest or in front of the eyes and there’s singing. It's like looking at a huge painting or reading a thick novel or wandering through an endless city, looking for nothing in particular yet moving for hours and hours. Once you have started, you never expect the end.

The production is the fourth collaboration between director Lauri Lagle and his troupe. The joint expedition began almost three years ago. The genuine energy of the actors, the haunting and memorable atmospheres, the longing to rise above the everyday while holding on to the ordinary - these are the goals that have carried the productions so far. "Only Rivers Flow Freely” is a slap directly in the soul.

***Estonian Theatre Awards 2023: the production is nominated in the categories of best stage designer - Artur Arula - ja best male supporting actor - Sander Roosimägi .  

NB! There are loud sounds during the show.


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Only Rivers Flow Freely

Party in a Stranger's Flat

**RiskyTheatreFestival PARTY IN A STRANGER’S FLAT**

The class of 2024 of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre hijack the flat where otherwise Only Rivers Run Free. From 17 to 20 June in the former space of Vaba Lava (currently operating under the name JAIK).
Party at a stranger’s flat is a risk. A risk that the young actors of the academy of music and theatre are willing to take. During three days and nights Ekspeditsioon's stage created for Only Rivers Run Free will host different performances.
Mistakes and failures — guaranteed; unexpected successes and unique encounters — guaranteed; jazz and Ukrainian folk — guaranteed; famous people — guaranteed; pancakes, tinfoil and half a kilo of sausage — guaranteed; one performance by the Tallinn City Theatre — guaranteed; a three-day marathon without a guarantee that the participants will push though — also guaranteed.
Performative experiments are inspired by the particular stage and the result is unknown. Stage design originally created by Arthur Arula will be repeatedly redefined during the four days. Performed act
ivities are reactive in nature, with a less strict structure, risky and include unexpected moments – just like a party in a stranger’s flat.
This is a collaboration between Ekspeditsioon and Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

There are several different performances at the festival:

-> **SILENT HOURS**

The performance Silent Hours asks what do we do at night, when we are not asleep. On two nights we invite the audience to spend time with us in the grey zone, where night and day, play and reality, dreaming and being awake blend into one another. When the most ridiculous idea can seem genius and you can't be sure even in the most basic things. How do performers (and the audience) manage the new temporal conditions and what directions do over-exerted creative impulses take?

Idea and On Stage: Emili Rohumaa, Richard Ester, Kristin Prits, Astra-Irene Susi, Juhan Soon, Laurits Muru

Designers: students of Scenography of Estonain Academy of Arts Karoline Lohe ja Natali Mällo

-> **SUPREME UNIVERSITY**

Indrek Koff, Ave Taavet, Eero Epner, Ott Sandrak, Maarja Kangro, David Vseviov, Daniel Vaarik, XXX, Luule Epner, Jan Kaus, Reet Aus, Elen Lotman

We know these names. These are the Estonian public intellectuals par excellence, who just cannot stay silent. Short lectures are given on topics that they have had on their minds for a long time but have not found an outlet before. Now they have their chance. The speeches are one-off and the impact will probably be unexpected for the speakers as well. Come and hear them out. This could be the last lecture you will ever need in your life.

-> **DISCOVERING UKRAINE**

How much of Ukrainian cultural heritage is unknown to us? What is the Ukrainian identity like, how and who have shaped it? How has Ukraine become a country that plays such a huge role in European history in this crucial moment?
We looked into the identity of Ukraine and discovered a lot. There have been attempts to erase Ukrainian history, abolish the Ukrainian language and hijack its culture. Yet they have persisted and still do. We know what Ukrainians are fighting for but what drives them? What do they need to overcome? These questions led our process.
Under the guidance of Anu Lamp, the class of 2024 of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre researched Ukrainian cultural heritage and found their highlights.

"What can we, outside observers do against violence? We have no other choice but to educate ourselves and not let evil lead us." /Anu Lamp/

Idea and On Stage: all Acting Students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Consultant: Anu Lamp

Designers: students of Scenography of Estonain Academy of Arts Kristel Zimmer, Karoline Lohe, Natali Mällo, Karolina Petersone and Grete Lepp

->  **A GUIDED TOUR**

A guided tour to Theatre Ekspeditsioon

Why does the audience know nothing about the rehearsal process? Why does the audience know nothing of the material not included in the final performance? Enough of not knowing. For three weeks, we were in close contact with the company Ekspeditsioon (including the technical team of Rivers). We asked questions, they answered. It wasn't easy. In the beginning they were sceptical; some declined answering but over time the whole company understood that it would be unfair to keep quiet.
We chose the most significant pieces among the collected information and now we can share these with you. This is Guided Tour. We discuss things theatre audiences usually are not made privy to – it is a journey behind the scenes of Only Rivers Run Free. We know. Everything and much more. We investigated and we will tell. All.

Idea and Guides: Acting students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre: Edgar Vunš, Herman Pihlak, Markus Auling, Karl Birnbaum, Hele Palumaa, Kristina Preimann

-> **CHILDREN'S MORNING BRAVE KEFIR**

We want to put ourselves to the test in front of the most earnest theatre critics. At the Children’s Morning, young theatre lovers are greeted by pancakes and a semi-improvisational performance, inspired by Andrus Kivirähk's Brave Kefir.
Brave Kefir is a story of the adventures of condiments while humans are in the other room. What is the greatest fear of Sausage? Why did Tinfoil escape the bin? Do empty ketchup bottles really go insane? And where has Mouldy Bread gone? This is a story full of discoveries, action and passion, set in a slightly mouldy kitchen.

Idea and On Stage: Kristin Prits, Lauren Grinberg, Hanna Jaanovits, Herman Pihlak, Markus Auling, Rasmus Vendel, Juhan Soon, Alice Siil, Laurits Muru, Emili Rohumaa
Sound Design:  Astra Irene Susi ja Martin Kirsiste

Designers: students of Scenography of Estonain Academy of Arts Karolina Petersone ja Karoline Lohe

-> **LIKE PAGU**

Our first diploma performance, Jaan Kross' Tiit Pagu (dir. Jaak Prints) premiered at the Salme Cultural Centre stage of the Tallinn City Theatre. This is the second premiere: an abbreviated version of Tiit Pagu meets the stage design of Only Rivers Run Free. This time, the premiere is also the last performance.
Is it possible to place a performance onto a stage meant for another? How painlessly does this process go? What remains? What gets left out? What is added?

Idea and On Stage: all Acting Students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Designers: Kristel Zimmer and Grete Lepp

-> **BULLSHIT JAZZ**

Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans are masters of jazz, widely known for their instrumental skills. But how did they sound when they first picked up their instrument? When you play the saxophone, you need to learn breathing techniques, when playing the piano, you need to practice scales. Would it be possible to skip these tedious parts?
Jazz trio Raun Juurikas, Mihkel Mälgand and Eno Kollom together with the class of 2024 of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre embark on a jazzpedition to discover if skill and practice are truly necessary to make music. The audience is welcomed by well-known jazz standards and incompetent soloists. Bullshit-Jazz allows performers to skip tedious practice and immediately take to the stage instead. Whether you know what you are doing or not.

Idea and On Stage: all Acting Students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Designers: students of Scenography of Estonain Academy of Arts Kristel Zimmer, Karoline Lohe, Natali Mällo, Karolina Petersone and Grete Lepp

-> **12 HOURS**

Performance 12h is the 12-hour culmination and the finale of the festival. The clock is ticking and the end of the party draws nearer. The performance lasts from midday to midnight.
It includes solos and duets, triangles and squares, parallelepipeds and cylinders. Viewers can come and go as they please – spend 12 hours or 12 minutes with us.

Idea and On Stage: all Acting Students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

-> **CHAMBER**

Have you noticed a stranger on the street, in a café or a dance floor and felt you'd like to talk to them but chickened out in the last moment and had to make do with a hypothetic conversation? Perhaps even regretted it later but convinced yourself that it's better like that anyway... How many conversations do we carry with ourselves – conversations that we never had?

Two things are certain: two people meet at the chamber. Everything said or not said in the chamber will remain in the chamber.

Idea and On Stage: all Acting Students from 31st Class of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Designer: Kristel Zimmer


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RiskyTheatreFestival PARTY IN A STRANGER’S FLAT

How did it go at work? – A shadow of winds in the leaves.

If people meet and talk to each other without pretension, cunning and emotional revenge, then it can happen. This and that, so and so, trivialities, and still it becomes a flow, a flow but... How to rise above the everyday but still not lose the everyday? How to speak about everything and nothing together? What does it mean if we speak about working out and dancing, communication and poesy, energy and atmosphere?

Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Performing arts award - Lauri Lagle 
Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Starring actress award - Marika Vaarik 
Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Supporting actor award - Jörgen Liik

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You Are More Beautiful Today Than You Were Tomorrow

Noorpaar hilineb iseenda pulma. Neid võetakse soojalt vastu ja proovitakse korraldada ilusad, korralikud pulmad. Samal ajal läheneb maakerale vääramatu oht. Enamik pulmakülalisi alahindab ohtu ning nad jätkavad kõigega endistviisi. Ohust saab tõeliselt aru vaid pruut, kuid ta ei suuda midagi selle ärahoidmiseks teha - või ei soovi.

"Vaata näiteks inimesi, kelle elupaik on maa all midagi koopalaadset, millel on pikk valguse kätte avanev sissekäik läbi kogu koopa. Nad on seal lapseeast saadik, kehaliikmed ja kael ahelais, mistõttu nad on sama koha peal paigal ja vaatavad üksnes enda ette, sest ahela tõttu ei saa nad pead pöörata. Valguseks põleb neil tuli ülalpool eemal. Kas sa ehk arvad, et nad on endast ja teistest näinud midagi muud kui varje, mida heidab tuli nende vastas olevale koopaseinale?” (Platon)

Lavastus põhineb Lars von Trieri samanimelisel filmil.

12.aprillil eelesietendus. Esietendus 13. ja 14. aprillil 2022


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Melancholia

Lauri Lagle’s new production “Underneath The Stars” opens a door to a space and to people and situations. What is this longing that unites us all? What is this dream that separates us from each other? Is there a life outside of others and where is the person that I ...? Among other things on stage there is a sombrero, a sudden grazing, a coffee machine, sunglasses (without mirror glasses), hands, a sniffing man, moustache of a Eurovision singer, harmless comradeship, a light blue beret, an argument, an opaque monologue, love, a funeral, a pick in the corner of the mouth and a dandyish guy.

Lauri Lagle’s productions and actors push through the end of the wall where perceptions begin. Words are spoked, feelings are felt, wants are wanted. Lagle is working with the same troupe with whom his two pervious productions “The Inevitability Of Living At The Same Time” and “You Are More Beautiful Today Than Tomorrow” were created. On stage there are Marika Vaarik, Katariina Tamm, Rasmus Kaljujärv, Jörgen Liik, Markus Truup, Ingmar Jõela and Rea Lest.

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Underneath The Stars

August Kitzberg’s classical play “Werewolf” is one of the most substantial texts written in Estonian by 2022.

It is nothing unprecedented or incredible in terms of the course of events. These events will irreversibly happen again and again, even today. It took place before the writing of "Werewolf" and it will take place in the future.

Unfortunately.

This is the difference between a classic and the rest, the non-classical. The captured or articulated essence, the peeled out substantiality, is what sets the barrier of reality on the brisk railway of existence.

The question to be answered might seem too simple. But all the more fundamental.

Does the world exist outside or inside our heads?

Peeter Jalakas started the Von Krahl Theater on Ratakaevu street with "Werewolf".

He will also finish with "Werewolf".

Was the Von Krahl Theater even there?














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Werewolf

A parable in one act based on “Bhagavad-Gita”

What happens if a simple modern citizen who thinks with his own head, who is not a monk, teacher, music lover or any other extremist, opens an old book for an unknown reason with a song playing in the background that is at least as old. The book happens to be a fundamental humanistic text, the oldest psychological war novel “Bhagavad-Gita”. And the song happens to be “The Garden”, one of the most beautiful pieces by Einstürzende Neubauten which tells a story about a garden, a gardener and four rivers which flow straight from Eden and supply water for the whole world.

Everything else is a modern illusion, a circus and a blissful innocents. Let’s meet by the weeping wall of Omniva.



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The Garden

The performance is inspired by Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, The Scrivener” (1853) based on which Taavi Eelmaa wrote a new stage play. In an ordinary copying office people are working diligently and all the work-related joys from solidarity of the collective to pleasant lunch breaks are affirmed. To raise solemnity, the office manager puts special rituals to practice which add emotional value to everyday tasks. As the amount of work increases, the office is forced to find a new copier and their arrival would mean that the work will be done even more efficiently. But suddenly the new employee does something completely unexpected. Something that no-one has done before. The pillars of the world as they know it start to shake and the voice of the people is growling with rage. Melville’s “Bartleby, The Scrivener” was written over 150 years ago but is still relevant today. The influence of this text can be found in literature (Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, etc) and also in philosophy and contemporary social theory. Slavoj Žižek has claimed that the central conflict of “Bartleby, The Scrivener” is essential for the contemporary world if we still want to think about becoming free from dominant economical, ideological and other norms.

Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Performing art award - Juhan Ulfsak

Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Starring actress award - Marika Vaarik

Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Supporting actor award - Jörgen Liik

Estonian theatre awards 2021 - Sound design and original score award - Jakob Juhkam



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Rather Not

When a page is blank and there’s nothing to write on it, then in order to check the font or length of sentences, a latin text is copied on the blank page which starts with the words Lore ipsum. This text substitutes the actual text that comes - comes at some point in the future. We replace the future with present. Keys with a chip. Cinema with Netflix. Roof tiles with asbestos cement. Everything goes really fast, faster all the time, but until then we have to replace, replace everything. What does it mean? Is it a preparation for the future? Or the arrival of the future? For whom is this place held? Mart Kangro’s new performance is about replacing, speed, the present, the future, potatoes, confusion, a floor under the floor and a pig named Ruik. There are four actors on stage, but who are they tonight will be revealed on the spot.


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Tonight Lorem Ipsum

What happens when a bird forgets its song? How to maintain an ability to live if the landscape as we knew it deforms into a lonely metallic desert? How will the world appear and sound like if the only birds still left flying are made of iron?

The one transformed into a metal bird who has lost its voice to noise, is not giving up a chance to reunite with its species. A longing to connect forces to search for a new language in the inevitability of a transformed world. To prevent completely dissolving in the new circumstances it’s needed to let go of the habitual forms of interaction. Wandering around soundscapes of a no man’s land and colliding with metal, new opportunities for metaphorical dialogues are born through sound sculptures. Visually both freely vibrating bodies as well as bodies which are forced to vibrate are emerging.

One source of inspiration for this production is Regent Honeyeater in Australia - a rare species of singing birds which specimen, due to their small number, have started to forget their song. 3,5 million birds have been lost during the past 35 years from Estonian forests. In addition the birds living in cities are adjusting their song according to the frequencies of city noise and make compromises in their vocal performance, leaving out some sounds and tunes of certain frequencies.

In the new production of Expedition director-actress Jaanika Arum, visual artist and musician Helen Västrik and sound artist Mari-Liis Rebane are fantasising about an inner world which is in a turbulence of external change.

Different mediums, such as body of the performer, sound, video, light and sculpture are used in the production.




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Nobody's Desert

Te olete nendest lavastustest kuulnud. Te olete näinud linna peal nende plakateid ja te teate, et paljud neist on võitnud ridamisi teatripreemiaid. Aga te ei ole neid lavastusi näinud, sest neid ei ole saanud mängida. Nüüd see muutub. 

Terve augustikuu mängib Ekspeditsioon koostöös Von Krahli Teatriga lavastusi, mis said valmis eelmisel aastal, kuid mis on oodanud - näitlejate kehades, rekvisiitide riiulitel, helimehe näppude all. Nüüd on aeg teiega kohtuda ja mängida. 
Algab mängimata lavastuste festival “Etendused publikuga!”  

Mängime nii  Von Krahli Teatris kui Telliskivi Kvartali M hoones. Mängukavas on “Pigem EI” (möödunud aasta parima lavastaja, parima naispeaosatäitja, parima meeskõrvalosatäitja ja muusikalise kujunduse auhinnad), “Sa oled täna ilusam kui homme” (etenduskunsti auhind, naispeaosatäitja ja meeskõrvalosatäitja auhinnad), “Aed”, “Paratamatus elada ühel ajal” ja *******.  Lavastajate Lauri Lagle, Juhan Ulfsaki, Mart Kolditsa ja Peeter Jalaka tööd - laval aga Marika Vaarik, Jörgen Liik, Rasmus Kaljujärv, Mari Abel, Ingmar Jõela, Katariina Tamm, Markus Truup ja Ursel Tilk. 



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Ekspeditsiooni ja Von Krahli Teatri festival

One late morning, a famous athlete appeared in the arena. He wasn’t the same. Ha was ragged by a disease for years and there was not much left. He coughed and tried to even his wrinkled sports jacket with old worn letters. Then he looked around the empty stadium which had meant so much to him. He heard the sound of fanfare, noise of the excited audience and passionate screams of the coach. It was the end of November, the air was humid. “Have you noticed,” said the famous athlete quietly “how beautiful the Tallinn Old Town is?” Lauri Lagle’s performance “The Inevitability Of Living At The Same Time” begins from the moment when everything is ending. People have gathered and are preparing for something. But new horizons are not opening soon. Just as our lives, it is not a tale but moments of lived lives – and of those still to come. The performance is a paraphrase of a title of a painting by Peeter Mudist. Premiered on the 28th of November 2019 at Von Krahl theatre.

The performance is without a break. One cigaret is smoked on stage during the performance.




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The Inevitability of Living At The Same Time  

You: Make a joke about immortality.

Chat GPT: Sure! Here is one:

Two friends are discussing life and death. One of them says, “Did you know that one day a technology will be invented that helps humans attain immortality?”

The other one replies, “Really? And what will happen then?”

The first friend starts laughing and says, “I think some people will be receiving messages like, 'Your immortality subscription has expired, please update your credit card information.'”


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Immortals

*Does anybody hear me? Am I on air?*

Every day, dozens of people call the radio to express their views. To greet their loved ones. To take part in the debate. To ask for advice. To be heard. To be seen. To be…

Ether/On Air is about one’s endless longing to mean something, to achieve something and to become someone. The play uses excerpts from live calls to radio stations.


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Ether/On Air

LEVIATHAN

Leviathan is a play about people who want to preserve the world as it is, but who do not have the means to do it. So instead, the world is changed for them: with an axe and a harpoon. Lauri Lagle’s new play brings together Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, Anton Chekhov’s play The Cherry Orchard, and the biblical story of Jonah in the belly of the whale. Played in the former factory building in Krulli quarter, which has been closed to the public until now, we witness a story which combines Ranevskaya’s nostalgia with Ahab’s anger, god’s erratic ways with the whale’s determination, a strange monologue about the Estonians being the chosen people with acrobatics performed according to the instructions of the Estonian decathlete Erki Nool. It’s a play about the present day and also the past, the desire to destroy, and at the same time to preserve, it all. A walk through different stories, weaving together their recurring motifs.

Lauri Lagle has worked with a wide range of materials as a director, but very rarely has he undertaken the interpretation of a play or novel. Here he relies on the world literary classics, placing Moby Dick and The Cherry Orchard in a contemporary context. Also live music is performed on stage. 

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There is an entity, a bunch of theatre students to be more exact, or even more so a group of young people, who have been forgotten in a distant small town – yet they have a fire burning inside them, they do not want to continue living the way they have until now. They want something to change. But in the end, nothing changes in this world, everything repeats itself, is the same, unchanging. Trying to cope with themselves in this unchanging world, they play games with one another, while also seeking solace amongst themselves. The greater their desire to forget themselves in games, the less satisfying these games become. Their expeditions guide them further and further, the games become more demanding, but the inner turmoil does not subside. At one point, they cross the line, not knowing what awaits for them on the other side.

Production's co-producer is Uinversity of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy.

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Bystanders

The new work by Ene-Liis Semper is a musical performance, seeking to bring together powerful visual contrasts and Vambola Krigul's live percussion music.

The performance was initially inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's seventh book, the 1973 Breakfast of Champions, which is also his best-known novel, often referred to as a cult classic. Vonnegut has been characterised as a humanist, a pacifist, a nicotine addict and satirist.

Semper's works almost always contain dualities. They can make you laugh or cry, haunt you, or feel like parodies. Even though there are no perfect ways to look at her work, none can be conclusively excluded.

"It has become clear to me that theatre is not born on stage but within the audience. What happens on stage only provides an impulse to give the audience a "code" that they receive based on their experience, presence and empathy. For years, I have found fine-tuning that impulse and the energetic and visual concentration fascinating.
And the questions such as where and how communication between people happens, how do associations, emotions, embodiment and presence begin as well.”
*Ene-Liis Semper, Director*


Productions