The Case

What do you hope for? What are you afraid of? And what annoys you the most? The Case is a performance for young people that fills the main stage of Oulu Theatre with new voices. The work is based on stories, thoughts and hopes shared by young people. What is it like to be young right now, in this moment and in this city? The performance draws on responses from more than 500 young people from Oulu and opens a window onto what young people today experience and how they see their future. What happens when young people get to speak and adults listen? The work also critically examines the adult perspective and considers what we fail to see. The Case is a courtroom where we also challenge Oulu’s parents to come and see the world of young people. The stakes are high, as in a Shakespearean tragedy, because art is a matter of life and death. Although the experiences of young people and the expectations of adults collide on stage, everything in the performance is brought together by a gentle love of theatre. The Case celebrates theatre as an art form and presents its techniques and possibilities in a variety of ways. The power of theatre lies in coming together, sharing a common space and time, here and now. “If you will listen kindly, we will do all we can to make sure you are not disappointed.” (William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet; translated by Lauri Sipari) The Case is theatre that does not merely perform, but also engages in conversation. In the courtroom, we hear and listen to what young people really want to say. Perhaps afterwards we will understand one another a little better.

Content note: The performance includes intense lighting and theatrical smoke. The production is part of Oulu Theatre’s development project to diversify its main stage, funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.