Dear Players,
Our 30th Anniversary year has started off in a super-active way. There have already been a staged reading and a play reading, and it's only the beginning of February. Have a look at the rest of the spring programme we have planned for you!
February
Friday 18: Staged Reading; Old Times by Harold Pinter
The Finn-Brit Players' Harold Pinter Project continues with a staged reading of Old Times.
"A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false." – Harold Pinter
There are those whose lives are deeply rooted in the past; others keep one foot planted firmly in the future. Between the two rages a battle to control the present. Harold Pinter’s Old Times suspends Kate between her stimulating London days with her only friend Anna, and her quiet homelife in the country with her husband Deeley – challenging her to choose between nostalgia and now.
The cast includes Zoë Chandler, Jonathan Hutchings and Angie Hämäläinen, and will be directed by Jakob Holder.
Free entrance. Wine & nibbles will be available.
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9) at 7 pm.
Friday 25: Play Reading
Nely Keinänen will lead this reading of The Old Wives Tale.
The Old Wives Tale, by George Peele, is an early comedy performed by the Queen's Men, one of the most important theatrical troupes in the age of Shakespeare (or more precisely, in the decade prior to the age of Shakespeare). Although now forgotten by all but the most dedicated scholars, the play nevertheless has its charms. The play is a mish-mash of different styles and genres, with elements drawn from folktales and other sources.
Free entrance. Bring a bottle and a friend.
Remember that play readings are not performances!
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9), from 7 pm.
March
Tuesdays 15, 22 and 29: Poetry & Jazz – Nostalgia & Now
Poetry & Jazz will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2011! Anniversaries are a time when we reflect on the passage of time, wallow in nostalgia or re-evaluate the here-and-now.
So join us for more poetry, monologues and music about Nostalgia & Now.
Free entrance. Fresh tea will be available.
At ARKADIA International Bookshop (Pohjoinen Hesperiankatu 9) at 7 p.m.
Friday 25: Staged Reading; The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter
The Finn-Brit Players’ Harold Pinter Project continues with a staged reading of The Birthday Party.
One of the most famous flops in recent theatrical history at its first London performance in 1958, The Birthday Party is now revered as a classic popular drama with deep political resonance. The characters in the seaside boarding house are all people Harold Pinter had come across. The repartee is hilarious and vicious in turn, the dialogue mundane, descriptive, reflective, witty, threatening: the play is described as brilliant, baffling and bizarre. It reflects Pinter’s obsession with power politics and the capacity of the human spirit to resist total submission. As he said of Petey’s line towards the end of the play: ‘Stan, don’t let them tell you what to do’, “I’ve lived that line all my life”.
The cast includes Stewart Gray, Angie Hämäläinen, Mark Durrant, Zoë Chandler, Jonathan Hutchings and Daniel McMullen. The reading is directed by Joan Nordlund and stage-managed by Beth Morton.
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9), from 7 pm.
April
Friday 1: April Fool's Party
The Players will start April with a big prank day. Come along and get amused, bring your tricks along.
Organised by Kikka Myllys.
Free entrance.
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9), from 7 pm.
Spring Production
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Fri 8, Sat 9, Sun 10, Tue 12, Thu 14, Fri 15 & Sat 16, at 7 pm
Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a seminal work of the 20th century, concerns two tramps, Didi and Gogo, waiting for … in a post-apocalyptic world. It is a work suffused with cruelty and laughter – laughter at them, at the human condition. In it, “nothing happens – twice”. And yet it couldn’t be more riveting.
Directed by Adrian Goldman.
Cast: Anna Rawlings, Fionna O'Sullivan, Christian Jull, Daniel McMullen, Tuuli Tahko.
At Tunturikadun Vierailunäyttämö (a.k.a Puoli-Q stage), Tunturikatu 16, Etu-Töölö, Helsinki.
More information later at our website www.finnbritplayers.com
Friday 29: Play reading
This play reading session is open to proposals. If you have a play in mind that you would like to lead a reading of, please contact the committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9), from 7 pm.
May
Minor Production
Pinteresque – a Harold Pinter revue
Wed 18, Thu 19, Fri 20 (evening) & Sat 21 (matinee & evening)
The Finn-Brit Players are teaming up with Luckan to bring an exciting evening of Harold Pinter to the theatre goers of Helsinki with their production of Pinteresque.
This vibrant collaboration promises a mixture of some of Pinter’s shorter plays and dialogues, forming a performance that is sure to offer something for everyone. The compelling cocktail of laughter, sentiment, relationships and politics will be served with explorations of unique staging and some surprises along the way.
At Luckan, Simonkatu 8
More information later at our website www.finnbritplayers.com
Friday 27: Play Reading
This play reading session is open to proposals. If you have a play in mind that you would like to lead a reading of, please contact the committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
At FINNBRIT (Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9), from 7 pm.
Friday 27: Deadline for the Spring 2012 proposals
Do you have a play in mind you wish to see staged? We are open to suggestions for a main performance in the autumn, so please fill in a proposal and submit it to the committee by the end of April. See the following webpage for more details: www.finnbritplayers.com/proposals
You can submit a proposal for a small production, event, workshop, anytime, simply by dropping us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
June
Saturday 18: Summer Party
Johanna Kylänen will organise the celebration of the longest days of the year. How and where will be announced in due time...
July
Wednesday 6: Eino Leino Day picnic
Celebrating Finland's national poet is an annual event we mark by heading to KOFF park and reciting poetry. Feel free to join in by bringing any poetry you wish to share (not just Eino Leino), or just drop by to hear some being read...
Feel free to bring a friend, a bottle and something to snack on.
KOFF Park, time will be announced later.
A peek into the Autumn 2011 Programme
The Autumn programme is still open, but here is what may happen:
August
Monthly play reading
September
Saturday 24: 30th Anniversary Party at Ostrobotnia Restaurant
Monthly play reading
October
Monthly play reading
Party
November
Main autumn production at Kokoteatteri (more later)
Monthly play reading
Auditions for spring 2012 production
December
December party
Call for Proposals,
The committee would like to invite proposals for plays to be produced in spring 2012 and autumn 2012. If you would like to produce or direct a play, please submit a short description of the play, casting and staging requirements, suggested budget, and potential backstage crew to the committee by no later than May 27th for the spring 2012 production and November 1st for the spring 2012 production. Forms are available on the website, www.finnbriplayers.com/proposals/. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask the Players’ committee. We will be happy to help you formulate your proposal.
Proposals or draft proposals for smaller or later productions are welcome as well any time! The Players’ 30th anniversary is coming up next year ;o)
Further information
We send out reminders for events on the mailing list, and of course newsflashes concerning any impromptu activities that take place. Our web site (www.finnbritplayers.com) also contains details of our activities, as well as a collection of photographs from past events. If you want to join the Players’ mailing list, check our online form (www.finnbritplayers.com/announcementlist) or contact Christian (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Also, if you have a suggestion for an activity, please contact the committee with your proposal.
Should you wish to receive a printed copy of the newsletter, contact Zoë (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). If you change address or if your contact details are otherwise incorrect, please contact Zoë (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
The Finn-Brit Players is a member organisation of the Amateur Theatre Association of Finland (SHTL). This entitles FBP members to participate in SHTL activities, though these are mostly in Finnish. More information in Finnish at www.shtl.fi.
The Finn-Brit Players is also a member organisation of the Federation of Finnish-British Societies.
Membership fees
If you wish to become a member of the Finn-Brit Players please fill out a membership form (available online at www.finnbritplayers.com or from committee members at social events). Social events are open to everyone, but as a full member you can also take part in productions, vote at general meetings, stand for committee, and participate in certain events organised in conjunction with the Finnish-British Society, which may be restricted to members only. The membership fee for 2011 is €20 (€10 for concessions), life membership is no longer available, but existing life memberships are still valid. In order to pay your membership, make sure you have a reference number from Zoë (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Committee Members
Chair: Kirsi Myllys, 050-309 8261,
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Also acting as FinnBrit Liaison
Vice-chair: Fionna O’Sullivan, 040-31 54 006,
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Secretary: Paul,
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Treasurer: Zoë Chandler, 040-848 9814,
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Social Shenanigiser: Johanna Kylänen,
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Comms Officer: Christian Jull,
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The voice and image of the Players
GENERAL CONTACT:
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www.finnbritplayers.com