Ovllá

An opera about seeking roots and state-led oppression of the Sámi people       

Davvisámegiella · Anárašgiella · Nuortalašgiella

Libretto in English

Ovllá tells the story of a boy who, as a child, is sent to a Finnish boarding school – a place where he gradually learns to feel shame for his Sámi roots. The personal joik inherited from his mother fades, and his identity begins to dissolve. He grows into a victim of assimilation policy, trying to forget something essential: who is he?

Ovllá invites the audience to witness, how a lost voice can begin to be heard again. The scars in the story are real, but from them also grows something living, unexpected and beautiful.

This tension is reflected in the music, where the free flow of nature is set against threatening rhythms, order, and rigid structures. Amid the orchestra’s dialogue, the voices of the Sámi joikers emerge, expressing the individual’s resilience and strength in reclaiming the identity taken from them in childhood. While the work relentlessly examines societal structures and discrimination, it gently focuses on the individual. The Ovllá opera is a work of fiction, but everything that happens in it has, at some point, happened to someone in Sápmi in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Norway. 

At the heart of the work is the encounter of two traditions: Sámi artists and opera singers together create a polyphonic stage picture where history, memories, and the present intersect. The dialogue between opera and joik tradition creates a nuanced tension—at times dark and profound, at others light and playful.

Ovllá is written by Sámi playwright Juho-Sire/Siri Broch Johansen, composed by Cecilia Damström, and directed by Oulu Theatre director Heta Haanperä. The orchestra for the opera is the Oulu Symphony, with chief conductor Rumon Gamba of the Oulu Symphony and Aku Sorensen, artistic director of the Luosto soi! festival, as conductors.  

Cecilia Damström composes the music in collaboration with lead actor Emil Kárlsen. Kárlsen’s joiks are integrated into the composition as a central element, honoring Sámi cultural heritage and weaving their voices into a shared musical expression within the work. 

The production features Sámi artists as guest designers: Geir Tore Holm as set designer, Bihtošoabbá Helme/Helmi Hagelin as costume designer, Øystein Heitmann as lighting designer, and Auri Ahola as choreographer. The opera’s sound design is by Jari Niemi from Oulu Theatre. 

The opera is performed in Northern Sámi and Finnish. The work is subtitled in Finnish, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi and English. The opera is a commissioned work, produced in collaboration with the Oulu Symphony, the Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš, and Oulu2026. The opera has received funding from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. 

Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Ovllá is part of the Oulu2026 cultural program and cultural climate initiative, and it marks the opening of Oulu’s European Capital of Culture year in 2026.

Content notice: The performance includes strong lights and theater smoke. The performance includes scenes that deal with racism and discrimination towards Sámi people.

Subtitles

The performance is subtitled in Finnish, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi, and English via the free Subtitle Mobile app. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play to your phone before coming to the theatre. The performance-specific code is entered into the app before the performance. The code for the play Destination is OVLA.

Make sure your phone has enough battery and is on silent mode. Open the app and press Start. Enter the code OVLA and select the subtitle language (Finnish, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi or English). Subtitles will start when the performance starts. If you do not have a smartphone, you can borrow a phone (limited number) from the office managers from the lobby.

Shows and tickets    

Playwright      

Juho-Sire/Siri Broch Johansen (born 1967) is a Sámi playwright, writer, songwriter and activist. She graduated with a Master’s Degree in Theatre Art and works mainly as a playwright. Johansen has twice won the Saami Council’s Prize for Literature with her novels for young people. She wrote an essay anthology entitled Kirjeitä komissiolle (Letters to the commission) (2020), in which she focused on issues that raised conflicts in the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

Composer      

Composer Cecilia Damström (b. 1988) has quickly risen to one of Finland’s most sought-after composers, with most Finnish symphony orchestras and festivals having performed her music. She has the ability and desire to address social issues through her compositions, as well as a strong sense of dramaturgy. In 2018, she won the Award for Children’s Opera of the Year with her opera Dumma Kungen and composed the first Swedish-language school opera Djurens planet for the Finnish National Opera in the same year. Damström studied composition at Tampere University of Applied Sciences and the Malmö Academy of Music. In 2022, Damström was awarded the Teosto Prize for her orchestral work ICE, and her orchestral piece Extinctions was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2024. 

Artistic team

Cast

Team

Choir      

Conducting Rotation      

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