Koulupihan tarinoita
Premiere of the Finish national Platform11plus production written by Jukka Heinänen
Where does childhood finnish and youth begin? What divides fairy tale from reality? ”Koulupihan tarinoita” is Oulu City Theatre’s first production based on a mutual research journey of professional theatremakers and school children as part of one of the biggest EU cultural projects of our time, Platform11+.
Premiere at the Vinttikamari Studio 22.4. 2010.
The premiere inclides the Grand Opening of Visual arts produced in the project schools in Oulu under the direction of set designer Maija Tuorila asnd teacher Marianna Junes- Tokola.
The premiere will also include a performance of a play by Oulun Normaalikoulu’s class 4A and Oulu University’s Arts and Crafts orientated teacher training program students forming “TAIKAEnsemble”.
“Schoolyard Stories” takes place in a classroom. Four students, around 13-16 years old, are working on a task left for them by the teacher, who, for various reasons, is absent. The task is to write about their own everyday life. For some, it is easier, for some harder. Through this simple situation, the play goes into their stories, their thoughts and feelings about life at school and home: taking care of little sisters, enjoying candy, going to school, coming from school, playing computer-games, listening mother’s sermon. Dreams , everyday frustrations and boredom, perfect moments and not-so-perfect moments fill the stage as the youngsters try to find their stories and put them on paper. The final story is about the end of spring term at school, coming of summer and most importantly, about finding peace and harmony. “Schoolyard Stories” is not a play centered on a problem or problems. Its main goal has been to give the young audiences a possibility to recognize themselves on stage. If the play has a point other than this, it could be that the lives of today’s youngsters are full of things to do and to think about – maybe a little too full. The play ends with the school bell.
