Premiere: ‘The Cast’ at Vindängen Hall
It might be an Arbis course, but its standards are just as high as those of professional theatre. And professional productions require stages to match. The play ‘The Cast’ performed by the Esbo Arbis Theater Group is set to premiere at Vindängen Hall on 4 May.
It is Friday night and time for theatre rehearsals. One person is stretching while someone else is flicking through the script. But when director and drama teacher Sven Fernandez stands up to speak, he easily gets everyone’s full attention. The group is currently working on their characters.
“The play takes stereotypes from the theatre world and runs with them – overly dramatic actors and an utterly incomprehensible director,” Fernandez explains.
Rehearsals take place in the gymnasium of Vindängens skola, but the play itself will be performed at the nearby Vindängen Hall. The choice of venue was an easy one as both the hall and Esbo Arbis (Espoo’s Swedish-language adult education centre) are operated by the City of Espoo. What’s more, the versatile Vindängen Hall has also proved to be the perfect setting for the play.
“In the mornings we show films to day care groups, during the afternoons and at weekends we have a bit of everything from theatre, concerts, sing-alongs and film showings to exhibitions and seminars. We offer a very wide range of events,” explains Executive Producer Eva Monthén of the City of Espoo.
Vindängen Hall has a capacity of 100 people, and as soon as you step into the hall the excellent acoustics are immediately evident. The sound and lighting systems ensure that even the most demanding productions go without a hitch.
“We are one of the city’s cultural venues and our services are aimed at everyone. People sometimes think that we only serve Swedish speakers, but that is not the case,” Monthén explains.
Let’s go back to the Esbo Arbis Theater Group, who are hard at work rehearsing for their premiere. The majority of the group’s members attended a one-year beginners’ course and a follow-on intermediate course before joining the group in the third year of their theatre studies. All of these are provided by Esbo Arbis.
“I joined because I wanted to improve my acting and try out an English-speaking group,” says Petri Järvelä, one of the actors.
Director Sven Fernandez explains that he demands just as much of his Arbis students as he would of any professional actor.
“What motivates me is being able to offer high-quality acting training for a fraction of what these kinds of courses usually cost. We adhere to the same requirements as professional theatre groups.”
Sven Fernandez established the Esbo Arbis Theater Group in 2017 with four students. By the next term, the number had jumped to 24, and now his students are divided into three different groups.
“But there’s always room for more. You do not need any prior knowledge to join our beginners’ group.”
Read more about Esbo Arbis.
Text: Sebastian Dahlström.
This article has originally been published in the Espoo Magazine 1/2024.
Read other articles in the Espoo Magazine.