Join us for an hour of brand-new poetry, monologues and music that no one has ever heard before!

Our theme for spring 2022 is Resurrection. Firstly, because this is our first show in about two and a half years, and it has been brought back to life at a new venue and with a slightly different format. And secondly due to the nature of the pieces themselves. Many were written during or before the pandemic, and have finally been pulled from dusty drawers and revived for performance. As is topical for our times, many pieces also deal with all kinds of new starts, fresh insights and reawakenings – as well as other slightly strange takes on revitalisation.

Featuring pieces written and performed by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick, Zachariah Chamberlaine, Mikael Kivimäki, Vladislav Nenchev, Sarah Puukka and Nush Sulin:

The Silly Waltz – written by Mikael Kivimäki & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
… time passes… – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
The last soul in the shop – written & perf. by Vladislav Nenchev
The Ballad of Mr Blue – written & perf. by Mikael Kivimäki
Babyboy Cousin – written by Nush Sulin & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
Music from Sarah Puukka
The Afternoon Light – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
Make Idiots Great Again – written & perf. by Vladislav Nenchev
The True Meaning of Religion – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
Hallelujah, the kind human spirit (for Ginsberg) – written & perf. by Mikael Kivimäki
The Aging Shoe – written by Mikael Kivimäki & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
Nothing in the News Except Covid – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine

PERFORMANCES at the NoName Theatre:
Weds 27 April at 7pm
Thurs 5 May at 7 pm

 TICKETS
5€ – standard admission
4€ – FBP members & concessions (students, retired, military/civil service, unemployed)
Ticket price includes free tea or coffee

Available HERE in our Holvi store.

An Evening With Jo’s Punch & Judy Show

That lovable English rogue, Mr Punch, will be 360 years old this year – born (they say) on 9 May 1662 in London’s Covent Garden. ‘Professor’ Jo Hadley invites you to an evening with his own Punch & Judy Show to help celebrate and further promote this little event in our collective cultural calendar. After all, it’s quite something to still be playing the lead role in one of the world’s longest running dramas!

Amateur puppeteer Jo Hadley will be co-hosting an informative talk and full show with the Finn-Brit Players at Helsinki’s NoName Theatre on Friday 1 April (7pm to 9pm). As an ‘early start’ to Mr Punch’s big party year, Jo debuted his take on the show at the Sampo International Puppet Festival in Helsinki last year. This summer, he plans to go ‘The Full 360’ by taking the developed show around as many parks and places as the powers of this world will let him, until returning once again (full circle!) to the Sampo festival this August. And who knows where to party on to from there!

Jo’s introductory talk will open up the show’s fascinating social backstory, which he discovered while researching and producing it. From a wider history of European puppet theatre, Punch & Judy is an evolving classic of English pantomime and clowning. Emerging as London street theatre, its characters and simple slapstick drama of apparent nonsense provide explorable portals not only to the past, but also to contemporary topics within urban culture and even satire. And it’s still making children and adults laugh today!

The little drama itself? A sleepy Mr Punch returns from his day at the seaside and finds himself left holding the baby while Judy makes his sausages. What could possibly go wrong? Crazy encounters with a policeman, a crocodile, his doctor and the local authorities follow. Discovering the Devil has taken Judy, Punch enters his final conflict and reckoning. With a full cast of traditional characters, you’ll meet Joey the Clown, Hector the Horse, Hurdy Gurdy and Happy Mr Jones in the show. And, yes, there’s even a ghost! But only the preceding talk can hope to make any sense of it all and explain how the various traditions have been respected and adapted – “That’s the way to do it!”

After a 10-minute interval for celebratory birthday refreshments, the 35-minute talk will be followed by the 35-minute ‘full’ show (shorter 20-minute versions of the show are usually done for street audiences). Book early to avoid disappointment – limited seating for one night only!

About the performer
Jo Hadley migrated from the UK to Finland with his Finnish wife and family in 2002 to complete a doctorate in Sociology. Now a permanent resident (and still with family!), Jo is a former police officer from Essex who moved on from an academic career as a social researcher and into children’s education in 2017. Combining his somewhat unexpected CV alongside a longstanding involvement in community performances and running a local cricket club, Jo finds himself on the cusp of trying something new but without entirely letting go of an urban ethnographer’s interest in street culture and authority figures.

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Friday 1 April 2022 at 7 pm

TICKETS

10€ standard admission
... plus something in the hat for Mr punch!

Available HERE in our Holvi store. 

Read more about Punch & Judy in the SHOW BLOG (coming soon).

The Reading
– by Leben Norrie

Performances at the NoName Theatre between 10–12 & 16-18 December 2021. Presented by the Finn-Brit Players and Stop All The Downloadin' Productions. Read more about The Reading.

   The Reading has now ended

Educating Rita
– by Willy Russell

Performances at the NoName Theatre on 16, 17, 19 & 20 September 2021. Presented by the Finn-Brit Players and Passport Theatre. Read more about Educating Rita.

 Educating Rita has now ended

Small Mouth Sounds
– by Bess Wohl

Performances at the NoName Theatre on 7, 8, 9 & 10 October 2021. Presented by the Finn-Brit Players and Passport Theatre. Read more about Small Mouth Sounds. 

 Small Mouth Sounds has now ended

Love From a Stranger
– by Agatha Christie and Frank Vosper

Performances at the NoName Theatre on 15 & 17 October, and 5, 6, & 7 November 2021. Presented by the Finn-Brit Players. Read more about Love From a Stranger.

 Love From a Stranger has now ended

Orange Alert
– by various artists

Performances at the NoName Theatre on 18, 19, 20 & 21 November 2021. Presented by the Finn-Brit Players. Read more about Orange Alert.

  Orange Alert has now ended

Plus OUR SPRING PROGRAMME will be coming soon...