Aino A. — A Play at Jyväskylä City Theatre

Jyväskylä City Theatre opens its autumn 2026 season on the main stage with Aino A., which premieres on 26 September. The play tells the story of a trained architect and a woman beside a genius: a person with a strong voice and distinctive creative work that remained partly unseen in her own time. The play about the quarter-century Aino and Alvar Aalto spent together (1924–1949) features actor couple Elina Saarela and Miika Laakso as the Aaltos. Interest in the season-opening play has been heightened by discussion around it in advance, including some critical voices. The work honours the Aaltos’ legacy while drawing on theatrical techniques and the freedoms of storytelling. Like any stage or film interpretation based on history, this play is not a documentary. In addition to the Aaltos, it also tells of other notable figures of the era who influenced the emergence of Finnish design. The story of Aino and Alvar had passion, conflicts and money worries, but also light, joy and creative madness. The stage presents a visually stylish and beautiful whole that honours the spirit of Artek’s early years and the era. The play is adapted from Jari Järvelä’s novel by Kati Kaartinen and directed by theatre director Marietta Kunnas, who grew up surrounded by Aalto architecture. The composition of the play’s music was supported by the Central Finland Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Preview: 25 September
Premiere: 26 September at 15:00

Script: Jari Järvelä – Kati Kaartinen
Direction: Marietta Kunnas
Set design: Annina Nevantaus
Costume design: Anna Sinkkonen (guest)
Lighting design: Japo Granlund
Video design: Jaakko Sirainen (guest)
Composition and sound design: Juuso Voltti (guest)
Make-up design: Niina Vattulainen

Cast: Paavo Honkimäki, Anneli Karppinen, Miika Laakso, Hannu Lintukoski, Piia Mannisenmäki, Saara Mänttäri, Jussi-Petteri Peräinen, Elina Saarela, Asko Vaarala, Annika Junno (guest, Theatre Academy Helsinki)

Performance rights for the play are administered by Näytelmäkulma – Nordic Drama Corner Oy.