Join us for an hour of brand-new poetry, monologues and music that no one has ever heard before!

Our theme for spring 2022 is Resurrection. Firstly, because this is our first show in about two and a half years, and it has been brought back to life at a new venue and with a slightly different format. And secondly due to the nature of the pieces themselves. Many were written during or before the pandemic, and have finally been pulled from dusty drawers and revived for performance. As is topical for our times, many pieces also deal with all kinds of new starts, fresh insights and reawakenings – as well as other slightly strange takes on revitalisation.

Featuring pieces written and performed by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick, Zachariah Chamberlaine, Mikael Kivimäki, Vladislav Nenchev, Sarah Puukka and Nush Sulin:

The Silly Waltz – written by Mikael Kivimäki & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
… time passes… – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
The last soul in the shop – written & perf. by Vladislav Nenchev
The Ballad of Mr Blue – written & perf. by Mikael Kivimäki
Babyboy Cousin – written by Nush Sulin & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
Music from Sarah Puukka
The Afternoon Light – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
Make Idiots Great Again – written & perf. by Vladislav Nenchev
The True Meaning of Religion – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine
Hallelujah, the kind human spirit (for Ginsberg) – written & perf. by Mikael Kivimäki
The Aging Shoe – written by Mikael Kivimäki & perf. by Mira Berglund-Fitzpatrick
Nothing in the News Except Covid – written & perf. by Zachariah Chamberlaine

PERFORMANCES at the NoName Theatre:
Weds 27 April at 7pm
Thurs 5 May at 7 pm

 TICKETS
5€ – standard admission
4€ – FBP members & concessions (students, retired, military/civil service, unemployed)
Ticket price includes free tea or coffee

Available HERE in our Holvi store.

WHAT IS INKUBATOR?
Inkubator is a programme to promote new scripts and provide opportunities for directors. The idea is start with a rehearsed reading, which if successful can be turned into a fully staged production. For those with some experience or a more fully developed script, it may be possible to move straight to a small production.

WHO IS INKUBATOR FOR?

Writers who have a new script they would like to fine tune by way of a rehearsed reading, with the possibility of a fully staged production for successful readings. With a more fully developed script, it may be possible to move straight to a small prodcution.

Directors who would like to gain more experience, either with a script they’ve written themselves, one of our Inkubator submissions, or another new or established play of their choice. We would prefer you to have at least some experience of directing – or at least acting in – live theatre. If you have no prior experience, we may be able to arrange a mentor with whom you can work on directing a shorter script.

WHAT KIND OF SCRIPTS ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• Language – all scripts must be in English
• Genre – all genres are welcome
• Full-length scripts for stand-alone shows (approx. 45–120 minutes)
• Shorter scripts that can be made into double bills (approx. 20–40 minutes)
• Staging – the cast size and staging requirements must be suitable for the NoName Theatre stage, that is, a very small and intimate black-box venue

WHAT DOES INKUBATOR OFFER?

• rehearsal and performance time at the NoName Theatre
• a modest budget for staging the show
• auditions to find actors
• support for tech, tickets sales, marketing and selected production tasks
• a rehearsed reading, with the possibility of a fully staged production for successful shows

WHAT IS A REHEARSED READING?
In terms of staging, the exact nature of a rehearsed reading can vary according to the project. For Inkubator, a rehearsed reading will be a performance in which the actors will be very familiar with the play and their lines, but will not be expected to learn their lines by heart. They will therefore perform with script in hand, but otherwise treat it as a regular live theatre performance. Staging, lighting and sound effects will be minimal, and the audience will be expected to use their imagination.

There will be a single minimal set consisting of basic furniture that will be used for all scenes. There will be no dragging furniture on and off stage, and a simple chair will be expected to double for anything from a sofa to a throne.

Actors should wear suitable costumes to set the scene, but there should not be unnecessary costume changes. A few props that are absolutely essential for the plot are allowed, but nothing else. For example, it would look stupid to threaten someone with your fingers instead of a gun, but unnecessary items should be eliminated, even if they are mentioned in the script – particularly items such as drinking glasses, food, etc. Remember: actors will have scripts in hand.

The actors will rehearse their lines and some basic, essential movements to liven up the performance, but the acting area must be kept small and the goal is not to do every movement you would in a fully staged performance. Again: actors will have scripts in hand.

The aim is to create a simple and engaging performance with a minimum number of rehearsals and within a rehearsal period of no more than one month.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS AND OTHER PAYMENTS
The Finn-Brit Players is an amateur theatre organisation that provides a framework in which people can engage in their hobby as actors and directors. Inkubator does not, therefore, offer paid positions or cover personal expenses for directors or actors. Amateur performance rights for scripts will be paid for fully staged productions in line with the length of the play and the size of the audience. Nominal performance rights will be paid for rehearsed readings on the same bases. All income from performances will go to the Finn-Brit Players.

HOW TO SUBMIT SCRIPTS, REGISTER INTEREST OR GET MORE INFO
Writers and directors should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information and fill out this form to submit scripts or to register their interest in directing. Actors should sign up for auditions when they are advertised by following our public Facebook page, joining our mailing list, or checking the audition page on the website. Please do not email us to ask for acting roles or paid work.

2024 NOTE: Scripts without potential directors are currently unklikey to be produced, as there are few directors looking for scripts at the moment. But you may still enquire.

DEADLINES
You can now make submissions for summer and autumn. The final deadline for round two will be announced later. Please register your interest and we’ll work from there to make theatre happen!

An Evening With Jo’s Punch & Judy Show

That lovable English rogue, Mr Punch, will be 360 years old this year – born (they say) on 9 May 1662 in London’s Covent Garden. ‘Professor’ Jo Hadley invites you to an evening with his own Punch & Judy Show to help celebrate and further promote this little event in our collective cultural calendar. After all, it’s quite something to still be playing the lead role in one of the world’s longest running dramas!

Amateur puppeteer Jo Hadley will be co-hosting an informative talk and full show with the Finn-Brit Players at Helsinki’s NoName Theatre on Friday 1 April (7pm to 9pm). As an ‘early start’ to Mr Punch’s big party year, Jo debuted his take on the show at the Sampo International Puppet Festival in Helsinki last year. This summer, he plans to go ‘The Full 360’ by taking the developed show around as many parks and places as the powers of this world will let him, until returning once again (full circle!) to the Sampo festival this August. And who knows where to party on to from there!

Jo’s introductory talk will open up the show’s fascinating social backstory, which he discovered while researching and producing it. From a wider history of European puppet theatre, Punch & Judy is an evolving classic of English pantomime and clowning. Emerging as London street theatre, its characters and simple slapstick drama of apparent nonsense provide explorable portals not only to the past, but also to contemporary topics within urban culture and even satire. And it’s still making children and adults laugh today!

The little drama itself? A sleepy Mr Punch returns from his day at the seaside and finds himself left holding the baby while Judy makes his sausages. What could possibly go wrong? Crazy encounters with a policeman, a crocodile, his doctor and the local authorities follow. Discovering the Devil has taken Judy, Punch enters his final conflict and reckoning. With a full cast of traditional characters, you’ll meet Joey the Clown, Hector the Horse, Hurdy Gurdy and Happy Mr Jones in the show. And, yes, there’s even a ghost! But only the preceding talk can hope to make any sense of it all and explain how the various traditions have been respected and adapted – “That’s the way to do it!”

After a 10-minute interval for celebratory birthday refreshments, the 35-minute talk will be followed by the 35-minute ‘full’ show (shorter 20-minute versions of the show are usually done for street audiences). Book early to avoid disappointment – limited seating for one night only!

About the performer
Jo Hadley migrated from the UK to Finland with his Finnish wife and family in 2002 to complete a doctorate in Sociology. Now a permanent resident (and still with family!), Jo is a former police officer from Essex who moved on from an academic career as a social researcher and into children’s education in 2017. Combining his somewhat unexpected CV alongside a longstanding involvement in community performances and running a local cricket club, Jo finds himself on the cusp of trying something new but without entirely letting go of an urban ethnographer’s interest in street culture and authority figures.

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Friday 1 April 2022 at 7 pm

TICKETS

10€ standard admission
... plus something in the hat for Mr punch!

Available HERE in our Holvi store. 

Read more about Punch & Judy in the SHOW BLOG (coming soon).