Evil

Evil — A journey into the heart of violence

Director: Laura Jaanhold
Author: Jan Guillou
Translator: Vladimir Beekman
Dramatizer: Anne-Ly Sova
Set designer: Illimar Vihmar
Music designer: Feliks Kütt
Video designer: Mikk-Mait Kivi
Lighting designer and video operator: Ivar Piterskihh
On stage: Nils Mattias Steinberg, Karl-Andreas Kalmet, Carita Vaikjärv, Janek Joost (guest)

Sweden in the 1950s. Stockholm. Erik Ponti is 14. He likes Elvis Presley, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm (forbidden at home), and swimming. The questions that matter to him are: How can he avoid being beaten by his dad every day? If a beating is inevitable, how can he endure it with as much dignity as possible? Or would it be strategically wiser to let himself be beaten a little at first, to avoid a harsher beating later?

Stjärnsberg boarding school. Pierre Tanguy is also 14. He does not like sports, but he likes reading. Erik is his new roommate. The questions that matter to them are: How can they avoid beating up the bullying older boys? If they do have to fight, where and how should they hit so they will not have to fight again in the future? What should they wear during a fight to make it go as smoothly as possible? Or is nonviolent resistance, like Gandhi’s, perhaps an option?

Millions of Swedes have now read Jan Guillou’s semi-autobiographical young adult novel Evil, published in 1981, and it is considered one of the most influential works against violence. The 2003 film based on the novel was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and stage adaptations have been performed to great acclaim in Sweden, other Nordic countries, and around the world. The novel was published in Estonia in 2001 and now reaches our stage for the first time.

RECOGNITION — Estonian Theatre Awards 2024
Winner — Salme Reek Award for Children’s Theatre
Laura Jaanhold and Illimar Vihmar — Evil: a multifaceted exploration, in both content and form, of the cycle of violence and the possibility of breaking it.

Nominee — Special Award for Spoken-Word Theatre
Laura Jaanhold — the socially alert, wide-ranging productions 25 °C and Sun and Evil.

Discussion group for young people
We are pleased to announce that supportive discussion groups for young people will take place again this season. In this helpful discussion group, Rajaleidja psychologist Kärt Lusmägi shares practical knowledge and skills for coping with strong emotions, and participants discuss the nature of physical and psychological violence. The discussion group takes place after the performance of Evil. Places are limited. Register at kassa@endla.ee.

Content warning: domestic violence, psychological and physical violence, bullying. The production is about violence and depicts it in detail. It may evoke strong emotions in viewers and requires explanation from an adult. Free support materials are available to parents and others who would like them, to help guide discussions between adults and children about the questions raised in the production.