White Hunger

Visionary survival in a dystopian near future

It is the year is 20X6, and Finland has experienced its first national water crisis after a cyber attack that contaminated all groundwater. This leads to the greatest famine in Finland since the 19^th century. The crisis very brutally divides society to winners and losers.

As their home collapses, Marja and her children must embark on a frantic journey where distress and dreams are interposed. The speculative sci-fi story takes the viewer to a cruelly beautiful world where people, from poor survivors to the powerful and privileged, are struggling to survive in extreme conditions. Despite the deprivation and cold, people find strength in each other.

White Hunger is an epic and impressive play about the will to live, the fragility of structures, social inequality and the necessity of struggle. It is based on a novel of the same name by Aki Ollikainen, published in 2012. It has been adapted and directed for the Oulu Theatre by Oxi Koskelainen.

In Oulu, the world of White Hunger has been constructed using unprecedented means. With its deep dimensional effect and projected visuals, the set design turns the small stage into an enchanting futuristic space. The team has created an immersive work of art inspired by the world of video games, conceptual art and popular culture, among other genres.

Published in 2012, Aki Ollikainen’s debut novel Nälkävuosi was widely praised by critics and readers alike. Nälkävuosi received several awards and recognitions, such as the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and a Finlandia Prize nomination in 2012, and the English translation White Hunger was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2016.

Oxi Koskelainen, director

A native of Oulu, Oxi Koskelainen graduated as a Master of Arts (Theatre and Drama) from Uniarts Helsinki Theatre Academy in 2008. Koskelainen was one of the artistic directors of the Helsinki Student Theatre’s collective management team in 2010–2013. Since then, Koskelainen has created acclaimed works as a dramaturge-director for the likes of Kiasma Theatre, the Baltic Circle Festival, the Finnish Broadcasting Company’s Radioteatteri, and the Kokkola and Seinäjoki City Theatres.

His creations in Oulu have included Tornado, script by Miki Liukkonen, performed during the Oulu August Festivals in 2014 and Raivon historia (The History of Rage) about the history of poetry in Oulu, which was presented at Tukikohta in the city district of Välivainio in 2017.

Koskelainen is a visionary link between the worlds of institutional theatre, visual arts and performing arts. White Hunger is Koskelainen’s first play for the Oulu Theatre.

Shows and tickets

Artistic team

Cast

Team

Gallery