Artistic Discoveries in European Schoolyards

Jukka Heinanen (Finland), Arjunan Manuelpillai (Great Britain), Rui Pina Coelho (Portugal) – Adopted and devised by Alex Evans (Great Britain) and the Finnish cast


Beginning

Text Extract


I
When I was little I played a lot in the forest nearby my house, if I had friends we would play together, but sometimes when they couldn’t come I played by myself. When I was alone in the forest I turned into this character with all these super powers. It was a secret character. The whole thing was called “The Secret Game”. It only happened when I was alone. I got these super powers, the forest around me changed. The adventure started.

L
Well what did you turn into?

I
It was a secret.

L
And it still is?

I
Maybe it should be.

V
Yes, at least until the next coffee-break.

I
But that’s not where it stops…something happened. I don’t know why but suddenly I decided to tell my big brother about the Secret Game. I went into his room. He was there, playing drums. You be the big brother.

L
Why can’t I be the big brother – you two always get to play the male parts, it’s not fair!

I
Hi there. What’s up?

V
Go away, I’m playing drums. What do you want?

I
Nothing. Really. When you were small…?

V
WHAT?

I
When you were small did you ever have imaginary friends?

V
I don’t hear you. I’m playing drums.

I
‘cause I have this thing I call The Secret Game.

V
WHAT?!

I
THE SECRET GAME!

V
WHAT SECRET GAME?

I
A GAME I PLAY!

V
WHAT ABOUT IT?

I
I HAVE NEVER TOLD THIS TO ANYBODY BUT WHEN I PLAY THIS GAME I TURN INTO THIS SUPER CHARACTER CALLED MINTTU!

V
Called what?

I
Minttu.

V
That’s a girl’s name, and also a herb.

I
This is exactly how it happened.

V
Why did you turn into a super hero with a girl’s name? Are you a pervert?

I
That’s exactly how he looked at me. I just stood there and wanted to disappear and turn invisible. I got paralyzed and went bright red.

L
It’s ok for boys to play girls and girls to play boys.

I
That’s not the point.

V
Well. That was a… great story. Let’s move on.

I
Sorry, I just needed to share it.

L
It’s ok to play a girl.

V
Do you want to play a girl in this play as well? Is that what this is about?

I
See I knew I shouldn’t have told you.

L
I think we should be free to be whatever we want. Girls or boys or something in between… without thinking about all these agendas…

I
See you didn’t get the point.

V
Let’s just get on with it.

I
There’s no point telling you anything.

L
We listened didn’t we?

I
Listened? I’m trying to share something with you. You’re just treating it like a joke.

L
We weren’t laughing at you

V
We’re just saying we got to get on with it, we’re only at the beginning and we’ve been going round in circles.

I
It’s not about the play.

V
Well what’s it about?

I
IT’S ABOUT HOW WE’VE CHANGED!

V
THERE’S NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THAT.

I
I DIDN’T SAY THERE WAS!

L
WOULD YOU BOTH JUST STOP IT!
I’m just going to continue… Lights, sound, let’s carry on…

Announcement: coffee break. All leave stage apart from I

I
In the Forest I could smell the heat, feel it moist in the summertime, a sunny day.
In the trees the ground was so soft –I would jump and run and hide and if I fell down it didn’t hurt. Birds are singing because they know I’m in there. I can understand the talking birds.
When I was Minttu I was strong and powerful.
I was Invisible. No-one could see me.
I heard every whisper, every sound in the forest.
I was unbreakable, like steel or diamond.
If I wanted to break something it was easy.
I had laser eyes and I could fly… not always… not everytime, but it was possible.
When I was flying the houses and cars and people all look like Lego.
Lego houses, Lego cars, Lego people. They are all so small.
I could control everything.

But when I told my brother about the Secret Game it was over. It was the beginning of the end…
I wanted to run away but my legs were like ice or steel. I was totally red.
If I could have got the words back I could have played whatever.
I thought he wanted to tell everybody. Tell his friends, my parents, my friends, my whole school. Everyone will know my secret.
They will all laugh at me. Would they think I was a gay or a freak? I was a boy.
Why couldn’t Minttu be a boy? Like Tomas or Marko or someone?
They didn’t understand the point. It was not to be a girl. I felt so stupid.

I tried to play Minttu a couple of times after that.
I wanted to play Minttu but I remember the shame. I felt so guilty and so much shame.
Fuck off Minttu. I don’t want her.
I can steal. I stole pens. I can be mean. I can be a bad guy.
I learned Karate. I wanted to hit somebody… I wanted somebody to say you are stupid so I could hit them…I wanted to show them all I’m good enough.
I would be an actor, go to theatre school, be unbreakable.
Be the Hero and the star but now I’m so ashamed of what I’m doing.
Its not working. I feel so much shame.
I’m not good enough.
Why is it not working? Am I too old? Have I seen everything? I’ve got too much experience now.
I want to feel like its happening again, like a little child. Have forest smells and forest heat. I want to play again. To have fun again and smile and laugh and be happy again.

Summary

Three actors are working together to create a new piece of theatre, retelling a timeless story; the creation of the world. Known only by the initials of I, V and L (in reference to the Finnish mythological characters Illmarinen, Vainomoinen and Lemminkainen from the traditional folk tale the Keravela) they are battling with their competing ideas in order to tell the story in ways which satisfy them all.

As they retell the ideas that once felt fresh and new it becomes clear to I that he has lost the imagination and creativity of his youth. He invites V and L to delve into their childhood experiences, to remember the imaginary friends, games and places of their early adolescence and revisit the chaotic and difficult moments when they realised their childhoods were ending.

Whilst I gains closure on his conflicted feelings, V begins to lose patience with the creative process and the need to behave like adults in the rehearsal. He launches into a musical attack on the adult experience in his song ‘forever young’, sending the rehearsal into a spiral of teenage angst.
Music, sex and violence collide as they recount the things in their lives they would rather forget, committed under the influence of hormones.

The group reforms after the embarrassing and potentially distressing memories they have shared with a renewed vigour to finish their story once and for all, but as they move onto the last section of the story they are finally halted by L who cannot but help feel left out of the play; echoing feelings from her late teenage years. She addresses her collaborators, sharing a series of intimate moments that have shaped her sense of insecurity and isolation.

By the end of the play the three actors have journeyed together through a difficult and troubled landscape; in attempting to tell one single story they have succeeded in creating a whole world of personal memories and reflections on the beginnings and endings of their adolescent experiences.
As they race towards the final stages of the piece, as their new world begins to take a shape and form they are left to question what sort of place it is they are creating on the stage. In deciding to create a world full of imperfections and troubled experiences they gain closure on their memories and learn to forgive others and themselves for the people they have been and for the people that they find themselves being today.


Rightholder:

© further information: Sari Tanner Oulu City Theatre Sari.Tanner@ouka.fi


Performances:

1st Opening Oulu City Theatre (FI) February 2, 2011


Cast:
M: 2
F: 1