Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC) begins its sixth season with a special work-in-progress presentation of Finnish playwright Minna Nurmelin’s Remember Me (2012). Offset by sharp dialogue and off-beat humor, Remember Me is a highly perceptive, unconventional tragicomedy about painful life experiences and a moving, yet light-hearted probe into the recesses of the human psyche.
Helena, a photographer in her thirties, decides to sell her home after a difficult divorce. Her real estate agent Anna, a single woman in her fifties, comes to see the apartment, but their negotiations never get underway. Anna is in the early stages of dementia and Helena cannot stop wallowing in her broken marriage
Both women are at turning points in their lives as they face the future. Drawing strength from one another, they tackle life’s big questions in an attempt to regain control.
The audience is invited to witness Remember Me‘s production process while interacting with SATC’s creative team, including Nurmelin and director Drew O’Kane.
Presented by arrangement with Nordic Drama Corner.
About the playwright
Minna Nurmelin is a freelance playwright and director from Helsinki, Finland. In 1999 she graduated from the Theater Academy at the University of Arts Helsinki with a M.F.A. in Directing.
Nurmelin’s work often centers on themes of female identity, abandonment, and the need for love, and ranges in style from physically visual to minimalistic, dialogue-based theater. Women confront the most vulnerable aspects of themselves and one another in her plays, facing up to personal tragedies, memories, and emotions. All of this the playwright and director depicts with keen humor, even when a situation appears to be nothing less than desperate.
In recent years Nurmelin has shifted her artistic method from group-based work to independent playwriting and directing. Her first play, The Woman Who wanted to Faint (2010), is a series of amusing sketches about women’s sexuality. Co-authored by Annu Volanen, Harvala (2012), the work that followed, is the tale of three sisters gathered around their mother’s deathbed – a poetic study of the joys and anguish of family relationships. Remember Me premiered at the Open Doors Theater in Helsinki (2012) and was widely popular with audiences and critics. Dreamteam, her latest work (2014), takes an ironic look at the vagaries of employment, life management, and modern therapy.
About the director
Drew O’Kane studied acting at the William Esper Studio and earned his B.A. in Film Studies from Boston College. As a part of SATC, O’Kane oversees the hiring of crew and casting for each of SATC’s productions and produces SATContemporary Reading Series.
Within SATC he has also worked as a Director, Stage Manager, Assistant Director, and Production Manager.
About Scandinavian American Theater Company (SATC)
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Image Courtesy of SATC
MON – 9-21-2015 – 8:00 PM
$15 ($10 ASF Members)