Interview with artists The Day of Remembrance and Business as Usual – From Documentary Material to
6.8.2026
15.00 - 16.00
Hämeenpuisto 28-32, 33200 Tampere
Mehis Pihla (Business as Usual) ja Elli Salo (The Day of Remembrance) discuss the encounter between fiction and documentary theatre in their plays.
Performances of Business as Usual (Rahamaa) by Mehis Pihla, dramaturg and playwright at the Estonian Drama Theatre, and The Day of Remembrance (Muistopäivä) by Elli Salo, resident playwright at the Finnish National Theatre, have been sold out night after night and have sparked broader social debate on their themes.
Now, Pihla and Salo discuss what it is like to write for the stage based on real events and documentary material, and how the diverse tradition of documentary theatre influences their work. How can the documentary nature of a work alter our perception of a nation's shared stories? What is the role of fiction in a play and a theatre performance when the aim is to bring collective memory to light and trust in the power of testimonies?
Aug 6 at 3 pm at the Eino Salmelainen Audience Foyer
Interviewees: Playwrights Mehis Pihla and Elli Salo
Interviewer: Critic, journalist, and publisher Maria Säkö
The interview will be conducted in English. Free entry.
Playbooks will be available for purchase at the event.
The venue is accessible
Organizers: Writers Guild of Finland and Teatterin Uusi Alkukirjasto (TUA), in cooperation with the Tampere Theatre Festival.
Photos of playwrigts by: Linda Saar (Pihla) & Sabrina Bqain (Salo)
More info on organisers:
6.8.2026
15.00 - 16.00
Hämeenpuisto 28-32, 33200 Tampere
Free