ITKUJUHLA

WORKING GROUP

Performing and text by Heli Hyttinen
Directed by Heli Hyttinen & Laura Rämä
Scenography Ella Snellman
Sound design Riku-Pekka Kellokoski
Lamenting expert Emmi Kuittinen
Poster by Ano Miettinen
Photos Helen Korpak
Supported by Kone Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation & Ida Alberg Foundation
Performances 20.10.-27.10.2023 in Helsinki Cathedral’s Crypt

”I dream of such persistent and powerful lamenting. I would let myself cry so hard I almost died. And I would feel alive. I would dry up. And from that heap I would be molded into something new.”

ITKUJUHLA is a solo autobiographical solo performance by actor Heli Hyttinen. In this personal and intimate play, two actor Heli Hyttinen takes inspiration from her grandmother Irinja Reijonen (1871-1959) who was one of the most famous Karelian lamenter of her time. Heli on the other hand, is the crybaby of her own life. Play revolves around the story of Heli learning about her great-great-grandmother and Karelian laments, as she goes through dreamlike scenes of childhoood memories, documentary archival recording and research-based lectures about Karelian laments.