The monologue of Timo Torikka is touring the Espoo libraries in early 2023

The collaboration of Espoo City Theatre, the Espoo City Libraries and Timo Torikka pilots a low-threshold method of providing the public with performance art. This production was made possible by the annual grant for professional artists that the City of Espoo granted Torikka.

"It is wonderful that Espoo City Theatre shows can also be performed in libraries. Libraries are meeting places for the public, and they provide the shows with completely unique settings, which makes them a meaningful element of the show," says Library Pedagogue Oskari Mänttäri who is responsible for developing the events activities of the Espoo City Libraries.

The libraries plan to continue developing the cooperation with theatres and other operators and create new events that can bring the customers joy.For Espoo City Theatre, the cooperation is part of the continuous development of operations and reaching new audiences.

"Through cooperation we can provide the daily lives of Espoo residents with the permanent magic of art and we can expand our operations locally," says Theatre Curator Julia Pajunen.

Actor Timo Torikka has dedicated the majority of his life to the dramatic arts. Ilta näyttelijän kanssa (Evening with an actor) is a monologue that looks behind the scenes, into the process of acting and the ways plays can be interpreted.

For Torikka, bringing performing arts into libraries means making performative arts accessible to new audiences:

"A library is an easily accessible cultural institute. It is open to everyone. And even though Espoo has many great cultural institutes, entering them is more daunting than just going through the doors of your local library."

Ilta näyttelijän kanssa is an open invitation to celebrate art on the fragile boundary between facts and fiction, and what could be a more natural setting for this than a library, a world full of stories. This is not only about how to perform, but also what should be performed and why, what is the nature of the change an actor experiences during their career.

Performed in Finnish, duration about 1 hour. Admission is free. 

Shows: 
Tapiola Library on Wed 18 January at 18, the Kaija venue
Sello Library on Thu 19 January at 18, Lava
Entresse Library on Thu 26 January at 18, Estradi
Lippulaiva Library on Wed 1 February at 18, Salonki
Iso Omena Library on Wed 15 February at 18, Stage

Design, text, and on the stage: Timo Torikka
Co-production with Espoo City Theatre and Espoo libraries.