Festival performances suited for non-Finnish speaking audiences
30.7.2026
The festival week is fast approaching! In this article we have gathered some performances that are suitable for non-Finnish speaking festival visitors. The main programme contains 9 performances that are suited for international audiences whether through subtitling or the nature of the performance. In addition to the Main Programme, the OFF Tampere programme, The TLab programme and The Nocturnal Happening contain a plethora of perfomances that are sure to entertain all ages!
The Main Programme:
Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen
Cowboy försvunnen
Three cowboys dressed in Stetsons, boots, and chaps. On the dance floor among the crowd, sharing their fantasies – ordinary, extraordinary, and unusually specific stuff involving submission, desire, and running away. The acclaimed and hilariously absurd Cowboy försvunnen by Otto Sandqvist deals with topics like mania, depression, alienation, and a shared experience of loneliness.
Teatterimonttu | Tue 4.8. at 19:00 & Wed 5.8. at 13:00 | Duration 1h 30min | Age recommendation 15+ | Read more about Cowboy försvunnen >>
Photo: Darina Rodionova
Arachne
Espoo Theatre’s acclaimed Arachne brings together weaving, pro wrestling and spiders.
The play presents a unique take on the ancient myth of the birth of the spider. The mortal Arachne bests the goddess Athena at weaving, and losing her human form, she is transformed into history’s first spider and continues weaving for all eternity.
On stage the virtuosic trio of Leena Uotila, Seidi Haarla and Karim Rapatti set up the looms, turn into wrestling archetypes – and an epic showdown ensues.
Sorin Sirkus | Wed 5.8. at 19.00 & Thu 6.8. at 16.00 | Duration 1h 40min | Age recommendation 15+ | Read more about Arachne >>
Photo: Tormod Lindgren
My Dinner with Putin
Playwright-actress Kate Pendry’s award-winning, one-woman, one-camera piece examines ambition, opportunism, and forgoing your principles.
Based on a true story and performed to sold-out audiences in Norway, the play zooms in on an actor’s breakthrough moment: Kate Pendry is suddenly offered a part in a Robert De Niro film – directed by an associate of Vladimir Putin.
Teatterimonttu | Sat 8.8. at 20:00 & Sun 9.8. at 13:00 | Duration 1h 20min | Read more about My Dinner with Putin >>
Photo: Rolf Arnold
Sortistycken (Exit Pieces)
Iggy Malmborg won the hearts of audiences and critics at the 2024 Tampere Theatre Festival with his humor and style. Now he's back with a brand-new work, accompanied by Mia Höglund-Melin and Jesper Söderblom from the ensemble of Gothenburg City Theatre.
Exit Pieces is 100% pure Malmborg – a philosophical yet not deadly serious autopsy on theatre performed with a gentle grin.
Teatterimonttu | Thu 6.8. at 20:00 & Fri 7.8. at 13:00 | Duration 1h 50min | Read more about Sortistycken >>
Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen
Forget Me
A reality-based drama about Gunnel who lives alone and wants to be forgotten after her death.
Gunnel, a retiring EU administrator, is an untypical person: she is unsentimental, isn’t in a relationship, and doesn’t have children. Her life choices raise questions and eyebrows in everyone she meets.
Hällä-näyttämö | Thu 6.8. at 19:00 & Fri 7.8. at 15:30 | Duration 1h 35min | Read more about Forget me >>
Photo: Janne Vasama
The Day of Remembrance
December 1931, just before the Gulf of Finland freezes over. A group of Finns on a smuggler’s boat from Tervasaari island to the Soviet Union – the Eastern Wonderland, a society ruled by the working class, a shining promise of a better future for everyone.
The Day of Remembrance, written by Finlandia-nominee Elli Salo, is a devastating play about extreme fates.
TTT Eino Salmelainen | Wed 5.8. at 19:00 & Thu 6.8. at 12:00 | Duration 2h 45min | Age recommendation 15+ | Read more about The Day of Remembrance >>
Sold out performances:
Business as Usual | TTT Suuri näyttämö | Fri 7.8. at 19:00 & Sat 8.8. at 14:00 |
Voces – Intimate voices | Tampere-talo, Pieni sali | Tue 4.8. at 19:00 |
Free admission street programme:
TO THE CIRCUS!
Circus Simon
Simon Llewellyn’s circus choreography, Kirsi Kunnas’ poetry and Silja Palomäki’s music will transport the audience to a magical land. The clowns will play, the hoops will spin and the trapeze artists will fly. Circus Simon’s TO THE CIRCUS is sure to sweep the whole family away!
In collaboration with Kulttuuriosuuskunta Uulu (Culture Cooperative Uulu)
Laikunlava | Tue 4.8. at 14:00 & 15:30, Wed 5.8. at 12:00 % 13:30 | Duration about 35min| Free admission | Read more about TO THE CIRCUS! >>
Ready. Aim. Fire!
Sara Twister
A dynamic combination of the unique art of acrobatic archery with upbeat contortion routines, comedy, and audience-participation, Ready.Aim.Fire! is a show that has something for everyone, and is guaranteed to WOW audiences of all ages. An action-packed extravaganza with a finale you do not want to miss!
The street theatre programme at the Tampere Theatre Festival is made possible by the Majaoja Foundation. The visit of the Ready.Aim.Fire! is supported by Deutsches Kulturzentrum Tampere.
Laikunlava | Wed 5.8. at 15:00 & 16:30 | Free admission |
Väinö Linnan aukio | Thu 6.8. at 12:00 & 13:30 | Free admission | Read more about Ready. Aim. Fire! >>
TLab Programme:
The TLab programme features a wide variety of musical performances that will surely enchant all audiences. For example, the Finnish funk pioneers Eternal Erection provide an evening of irresistible groove on Thursday, known for their energetic "funk prayer moments". For a more pondering approach, Com a alma do Fado explores the role of man in the midst of the chaos and changes of the world: Where can we find deep spiritual peace and hope even when external and internal peace is shaken? For an evening celebrating the immortal legacy of Stevie Wonder, the 75th anniversary concert swings on stage courtesy of 6-piece Masterpiece Orchestra from Jyväskylä. These performances and so much more are taking place in G Livelab during the festival week.
Browse the full TLab programme here >>
The Nocturnal Happening:
The carnivalistic Nocturnal Happening turns Tampere into an open stage where anything is possible for one night. This year the Nocturnal Happening takes place on August 6th, running late into the night. Whether you're interested in dance, music, movies, performing arts or tea ceremonies, the Nocturnal Happening's programme is sure to please you!
Browse the Nocturnal Happening's schedule here >>
Welcome to the 57th edition of The Tampere Theatre Festival!