Åland author Sally Salminen’s 1936 bestselling novel Katrina conquers three Finnish-Swedish stages.
Lilla Teatern, Åbo Svenska Teater and Wasa Teater are co-producing the musical Katrina, in Kaisa Lundán’s new dramatisation with newly composed music by Aili Järvelä. The production will be performed at all three theatres in 2024-2025.
‘Plans for a possible collaboration between the theatres have been in the works for a long time, and many pieces of the puzzle need to fall into place in order to land such a large project with several people involved. Collaboration between theatres provides the opportunity to extend the life of a performance. But what is perhaps even more important is the exchange of working methods, knowledge and approaches between theatres. This exchange benefits what happens on stage, but also around and behind the scenes’, says Kira-Emmi Pohtokari, Theatre Director at Åbo Svenska Teater, Jakob Höglund, Artistic Director of Lilla Teatern and Ann-Luise Bertell, Theatre Director at Wasa Teater.
Acting musicians Aili Järvelä, Ulriikka Heikinheimo and Senni Valtonen and actor Emma Klingenberg sing Katrina’s heartbreaking story, which still echoes with relevance almost a century later.
Young Katrina is lured by love to move from Ostrobothnia to Åland to become a sailor’s wife. Although she is left alone in the poor cottage, she manages time and again to overcome both external difficulties and herself. Katrina’s pride and justice pave the way for her to challenge society’s norms and what it means to be a woman.
There is tremendous strength in women when faced with impossible situations, a stubbornness to continue despite adversity. And despite the fact that Katrina herself makes mistakes several times, the author treats her with tenderness,’ says Kaisa Lundán, who dramatised the play and brought it to the present day.
Sally Salminen won a Nordic Novel Prize competition and made a huge breakthrough as a writer with her debut novel Katrina (1936). The novel is a folk tale that has been published in many editions and translated into many languages.
In an interview from 1954, Salminen describes how she was deeply moved by the songs sung by the choir in her village. Music plays a prominent role in this co-produced performance. Aili Järvelä makes her debut as a musical composer.
‘I didn’t know how to do it, so I just had to try it out. One of the melodies actually came to me in a dream,’ says Järvelä.
‘It’s a big story that requires visual, poetic representations. We will travel across oceans, work in the fields, dance in the village, give birth to five children, kill a cow and much, much more. I’m lucky enough to be working with Heini Maaranen as set designer, she is a master of creative solutions, while Samu-Jussi Koski will bring his timeless elegance to the costume design. It will be an exciting journey to bring Katrina back to life after all these years of oblivion. She will be given a performance worthy of her greatness,’ explains Jakob Höglund, who is directing the play.
This project is in many ways about strength. Strength. I haven’t entered the process yet, but from here I see it as a powerful stream created by many women – the working group, Sally Salminen and there in the middle is Katrina. I can of course relate to the fact that Katrina has Ostrobothnian blood in her, but also to the Ålandic blood. I’ve been a Summerlander for 14 years,’ says actor Emma Klingenberg.
Katrina premiered at Lilla Teatern in Helsinki on 31 January 2024.