Northern drama Vesisaaren Alma chosen for Tampere Theatre Festival main programme

According to a press release from ePressi, Vesisaaren Alma, a co‑production by Rovaniemen Teatteri and Piste Kollektiivi, has been chosen for the Tampere Theatre Festival main programme and will be staged on the Eino Salmelainen stage at Tampere Workers’ Theatre on Friday 7 August at 19:00 and Saturday 8 August at 13:00.

Founded in 1968, the Tampere Theatre Festival is one of Europe’s longest-running theatre festivals, drawing roughly 60,000–80,000 visitors each year. Selection for the main programme gives Finnish productions a chance to reach a broader national audience.

Premiering in autumn 2025, Vesisaaren Alma tells the story of Alma Särestöniemi, the mother of painter Reidar Särestöniemi. The multi‑arts drama follows Alma from her birth on the coast of Ruija in Vesisaari to a daring return journey to Kittilä’s Kaukosen, and traces the family life behind Reidar’s distinctive, mythic Lapland canvases.

The production has toured more than 15 locations across Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia. It received a €100,000 New Classics grant.

Taija Helminen wrote the script in collaboration with cultural researcher Marja‑Liisa Honkasalo, and Riku Innamaa, Rovaniemen Teatteri’s artistic director, directs the piece. Henna Kaikula is responsible for circus design and direction. Performers include Henri Haakana, Olli Haataja, Aapo Honkanen, Milla Jarko and Helka Periaho.

"Vesisaaren Alma is important and personal for its makers and is rooted in northern reality," Innamaa said. "It’s inspiring that it continues its journey and gains a new stage at Teatterikesä. We go to Tampere happy and curious to meet a new audience and look forward to the encounters the visit will bring." Tickets for the Tampere performances are available through the festival's official sales channels.