World premiere on the main stage in April 2025

In April, the main stage of the Oulu Theatre will see the world premiere of Perillä – Destination, written by Jukka Heinänen and Moe Mustafa.

“Our spring season 2025 will kick off in early February with the premiere of the musical Kinky Boots, which celebrates freedom from norms. It gives me great pride to bring to the main stage after that the exceptional world premiere of Destination, a captivatingly relevant and contemporary piece,” says artistic director Alma Lehmuskallio.

Destination is a new Finnish play about a multilingual and multicultural Finland. Directed by Heta Haanperä, the play is performed in Finnish, English and Arabic.

“Destination is about home and the feeling of home, and in Oulu it is appropriate to ask questions such as how safe someone moving here from elsewhere feels and what we as a theatre can do to change attitudes,” Lehmuskallio says.

Destination is set in an ordinary Finnish block of flats, within the walls of which the residents go through small and big life changes over the course of a couple of weeks. Familiar patterns change as a young man moves into his first own home, an only child moves out, someone discovers a new side of their spouse, and the walls begin to crumble around a person who has barricaded themselves in their home.

“What makes a place a home, where is home, and can you ever return there once you have left? This reflection gains new perspectives when we bring together the experiences of people who were born in Finland and those who have moved here from elsewhere. The play examines the stairwell of a Finnish block of flats as a place where different backgrounds, memories and ideas of home meet,” says the director Heta Haanperä.

The roles are played by Youssef Asad Alkhatib, Henri Halkola, Mirjami Kukkola, Joose Mikkonen, Moe Mustafa, Aki Pelkonen and Merja Pietilä.

“Each performer has their own vision of and relationship with home – both the physical space and the feeling of home. Childhood landscapes, the experience of moving and new environments challenge our notion of what home ultimately means. Is home a place or an emotional state? Is home just a memory or something we search throughout our lives? Can you lose your home or find it again?” Haanperä explains.

Perillä – Destination – الوصول إلى | Premiere 5 April 2025 | Main stage

Script by Jukka Heinänen and Moe Mustafa 
Directed by Heta Haanperä 
Set design by Alisha Davidow and Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila 
Costume design, hair and makeup by Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila 
Lighting design by Elina Romppainen 
Sound design by Rauno Paananen

Tickets now on sale!