A comedy about the pressures of family life
Written and directed by Marina Meinander and Kirsi Porkka, Celebrations is a portrait of the Nieminen – Koskinen extended family who insist the glass is always half full. According to them, anxiety is but a precursor to insight, unemployment merely a moment in-between-jobs, a separation an opportunity for personal growth, and burnout is best tackled by drinking enough water.
In the play, three generations celebrate a wedding anniversary, May Day, and a thirtieth birthday. Each festivity pulls the family apart as much as bringing it together and highlights all the foibles that go unnoticed in the course of everyday life.
Working together over many years, Meinander – Porkka have created a recognisable and nuanced signature style. In the duo’s depictions of the vicissitudes of life, realism is cut with the absurd, and the laugh-out-loud comedy barely covers the murky waters of melancholia underneath. Celebrations is the fourth work Meinander - Porkka have written and directed for the Finnish National Theatre. Their previous FNT collaborations – Survive for One More Day (2013), Evil Stepmother (2016), and Indignation (2020) – received both audience and critical acclaim.
Premiere on the Main Stage on November 23, 2023.
Production team
Cast Juhana Hurme (TeaK), Katariina Kaitue, Maria Kuusiluoma, Minka Kuustonen, Heikki Nousiainen, Sari Puumalainen, Emma Pälsynaho (TeaK), Timo Tuominen, Leena Uotila, and Juha Varis
Directors Marina Meinander and Kirsi Porkka Music Riikka Talvitie Set designer Katri Rentto Costume designer Saija Siekkinen Choreographer Johanna Elovaara Lighting designer Ville Toikka Video designer Pyry Hyttinen Sound designer Esa Mattila Make-up designer Tuija Hellas