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Hornblende

written by Arda Yildirim, translated by Eva Buchwald

Amalia has no feeling of purpose but mundane wandering. The feeling of nothingness has made her create an obsession called Max. He keeps her somewhat sane. 

Amalia’s wonders, what is our purpose on this planet? Who are we to judge? And why are other people so irritatingly stupid and ignorant?

Amalia believes emotions can be transmitted, and it keeps her away from normal social behaviours – she is afraid her anxiousness will spread. She wants to reset everything, and her friends worry she might harm herself, just as her father did. After Max hits her in the gut, she finds herself in a place where she doesn’t know whether to kill herself or to continue living with the pain of loneliness. Amalia’s monologue asks what is the role of others in our lives, and what keeps us going.

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Arda Yildirim – Playwright

 

I am a 28-year-old writer born and raised in Helsinki.

What inspires me is our inner voices and the way we adjust them for others. Rhetorics. 

I funded my journalism studies by working as a barista. Later I went nuts about coffee and ended up being the person in charge of it in (Michelin-star) restaurants.

Now I enjoy my cup of coffee as a restaurant critic. On top of the reviews I enjoy writing essays and short stories. My first small drama Pelottaa, että uskallan was performed in the Theatre Academy in August 2019.For me writing is a cry for help. An investigation of emotions. Emotions are still the one thing we all have in common.

 

”The fact that someone actually reads my writing and that they perhaps evoke feelings in them, is the biggest gift I can get. It is fascinating to see how my remarks on life in Finland resonate with other Nordics and people living in the UK.”

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Eva Buchwald –Translator

 

Eva Buchwald was born in London and moved to Helsinki in 1990, where she has worked as a freelance translator of fiction for over twenty years, with an emphasis on dramatic work. Many of her translations of Finnish plays, such as Sofi Oksanen’s Purgeand Paula Salminen’s 13 Sunken Yearshave enjoyed readings or productions in the UK and USA.

Her most recent translations are Mika Myllyaho’s Garage, and Sirkku Peltola’s Dog’s Picnic.  

Eva also holds the position of Head Dramaturg at the Finnish National Theatre, where her role includes developing new Finnish writing and 

seeking international work for the programme. She also adapts work for the stage, most recently Pajtim Statovci’s novel My Cat Yugoslavia(2018). 

 

”Translations give budding authors a new perspective on the landscape of their work, and allow audiences to discover a different kind of wilderness”

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READING

CAST & CREATIVES

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Emily Louizou - Director

 

Emily Louizou was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She trained on the MFA Theatre Directing at Birkbeck, University of London. She also holds a BA in English Literature at University College London. Emily is the Founder & Artistic Director of Collide Theatre; which specialises in modern dance and music-based storytelling. Her new opera TROY and her new dance-theatre version of Kafka’s Metamorphosis received funding from Arts Council England and have had sold-out runs in London.

She was a Resident Assistant Director at HOME in Manchester, an Artist Mentor for the Barbican Theatre, a Facilitator for The Old Vic, a Staff Director for OperaUpClose’s Olivier-award winning La Bohème, and most recently a Resident Assistant Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. http://www.emilylouizou.com


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Norah Lopez Holden - Amalia

 

Norah is an award-winning actress with a wide range of theatre experience.

 

She recently played the lead role in Our Town and The Almighty Sometimes (opposite Sharon Duncan-Brewster) at the Royal Exchange and had leading roles in The Winter’s Tale/Eyam at the Globe Theatre and Equus at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

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