the Trial

I have the right to be young!

Whaddya wish for? Whatcha afraid of? And what bugs you the most?

The Trial is a performance aimed at young people, filling the main stage of Oulu Theatre with new voices. The work grows out of the stories, thoughts and wishes told by young people. What’s it like to be young right now, in this time and in this city?

The performance is based on the responses of over 500 young people from Oulu and opens a window into what today’s youth experience and how they see their future. What happens when young people get to speak and adults listen? The piece also critically examines the adult gaze and reflects on what we fail to see.

The Trial is a courtroom where we also challenge parents in Oulu to come and witness the world of young people. The stakes are high, like in a Shakespearean tragedy, because art is about life and death. Although on stage the experiences of the young and the expectations of adults collide, everything in the performance is united by a gentle love for theatre. The Trial celebrates theatre as an art form and showcases its methods and possibilities in a variety of ways. The power of theatre lies in coming together, in sharing a common space and moment here and now.

“If you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”

(William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet)

The Trial is theatre that doesn’t just perform but engages in conversation. In the courtroom, we hear and listen to what young people really want to say. Perhaps afterward we will understand each other a little better.

With the support of the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Oulu Theatre has launched a three-year project aiming to diversify the Main stage, developing the content presented to a large audience in the north, expanding the audience base and developing the theatre’s international expertise. The project will be implemented through six Main stage productions and internal development work. The Trial is one of these productions.

Director

Mikko Korsulainen is a theatre director and actor. He graduated from Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy with a Master’s degree in Acting in 1996 and completed a Master’s degree in Directing in 2023. He was a resident actor at Oulu Theatre from 1999 to 2019.

Korsulainen’s previous directorial works include the opera Isfåglarna (Central Ostrobothnia Chamber Opera 2024), The Mousetrap (Seinäjoki City Theatre 2021), and for Oulu Theatre Father (2020), Seesaw (2014), and Jessika – Born Free (2010).

Dramaturge

Rasmus Arikka is a dramaturge and writer. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts from Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy in 2024, majoring in dramaturgy and playwriting. His debut novel Homoromaani was published in 2023.

He has worked as a dramaturge in e.g. Crime and Punishment (Q-Theatre 2025), Se saattaa olla ihminen (Ryhmäteatteri 2025), Crossing (Turku City Theatre 2024), Tuvi toas eli pulu huoneessa (Q-Theatre 2024) and Straight Acting (Viirus Theatre 2023).