ABOUT TOTEM-THEATRE
The TOTEM Theatre was founded in 1986. It is one of the three professional theatres in Espoo focusing on children’s theatre. The TOTEM Theatre is a professional travelling theatre. The central function is to promote the Finnish children’s culture in the Theatre’s home town Espoo, as well as elsewhere in Finland. The Theatre carries out this task by producing theatre performances directed to children as well as arts education activities. TOTEM-theatre tours around Finland and can also be booked to festivals, schools and events abroad. Our prices are very moderate, as the plays only have two actors, who also run the stage technic. We tour with the same play for a whole year. For the last information about the play and our schedules, please contact our office.

ABOUT PERFORMANCES
The TOTEM-theatre confines itself to the form of small-scale theatrical performances where visuality, too, continues the minimalistic line. Art is not just something large and impressive. The original esthetics of the performances, created by the combination of different art forms, an expression almost without any words and of visual minimalism, is the artistic choice of The TOTEM Theatre. The unity it creates allows the the audience of children to complement the story with their own thoughts, feelings, and words. Information about our current reportoire can be found here.

PERSONNEL
Artistic director: Päivi Rissanen
Actor: Pasi Lappalainen
Producer: Suvi Aaltonen

Producer: Hanna Paatero (parental leave 1.1.2012.31.1.2012)


CONTACTS
TOTEM-Theatre
Lillklobb – Nuijalantie 9
Fi-02630 Espoo
Finland
tel&fax: +358 (0)9 464505
e-mail: info (at) totemteatteri.com
www.totemteatteri.com



SHORTLY ABOUT TOURING PERFORMANCES 2011-2012



I am King! 

- A story about lust for power, wrong deeds and Macbeth



"Dear Lady Macbeth!

Something very strange happened to me today. A fuming puddle told me that I am going to become a king. But we already have a king? What are we going to do now? Help!

Yours, Macbeth"

I am King! is a story about a man and a woman who really mess things up and do a bunch of terrible things. Even though at first everything is just fine. The performance looks into what happens when you do things just the way you want to without considering the consequences of your actions. Would everything have gone differently if Lady Macbeth hadn't been so bored all alone in her castle? TOTEM theater uses a variety of means of art to journey into Shakespeare's classic play in the company of Macbeth, lady Macbeth, King Duncan, and of course, the witches.

The performance is directed by Marielle Eklund-Vasama. On stage are performers Pasi Lappalainen and Päivi Rissanen. The performance is loosely based on Shakespeare's Macbeth and further adapted by Marielle Eklund-Vasama and the working group. Scenography and costumes by Sanna Halme, sound design by Miikka Ahlman, videos and photography by Karin Pennanen. Set construction by Leif Lönngvist and costume construction by Tuula Laakso. In charge of technique is Tuomas Tulikorpi. Produced by TOTEM theater and producer Suvi Aaltonen.

The performance is intended for children between 6 and 12 years.
Duration approximately 40 minutes.
The performance premiered on the 20th of January 2012 in Espoo, Finland.
Available for touring during 2012.

Depending on the audiences needs, there is a possibility of discussion with the performers directly after the performance.

A Dream About a Glass Bicycle

-         A Performance of All Kind of Beauties



...A Ford tractor, eyelashes, flying unicorns, pink rain pants, the ocean, fearless people, white rain boots, Hello Kitty, joy, certain girls, the velvet softness of a horse's nostril, Donna Summer, mom's nightgown, a butterfly tattoo, the names Katy and Susanne, a raindrop on a fold of a leaf, bones and skulls, mermaids, a perfectly shaped fruit, mountains, the faces of women and girls, the sun, the sweaty and shiny arched back of Iggy Pop, ballet, fire, Batman, horses, the pink blob of a gray stone, blankies, glitter stickers, dirty white long hair, the weather balloons in our suburb in the 80s, porcelain dolls, devouring mom's bakeries with the other boys on our block, you, fireworks, the blue hour...

A Dream About a Glass Bicycle is a performance in which spaces for beauty and beautiful images are created through two performers, animations, photographs and the use of dynamic sounds. The cross arts performance, made for 6-12 year old children, ploughs through the sometimes strange boundary between that which is beautiful and that which is horrific. The performance takes place in the foyer of space, at the last stop through which the humans of the future travel on their way to a new life in outer space. On the stop the paths of a man, a woman, a moose and a cabbage happen to cross and just before their departure they experience the beauty of the world, each in their own way.

directed by: Anna-Mari Karvonen
performers: Päivi Rissanen and Pasi Lappalainen
written by: Marie Kajava and the working group
text: Marie Kajava
lighting and sound design: Heidi Lind
set design, costumes and video: Milja Aho
produced by:  TOTEM-theatre and Hanna Paatero


The performance is intended for children between 6 and 12 years.
Duration approximately 40 minutes.
The performance premiered on the 19th of January 2011 in Espoo, Finland.
Available for touring during 2011-2012.

Depending on the audiences needs, there is a possibility of discussion with the performers directly after the performance.