Portfolio

- DIRECTING -

SOLARIS

Venue: Turun kaupunginteatteri, Pieni näyttämö, Turku City Theatre (2020)
Premiere: 1. September 2023

“It has no soul”

“The sound is ocean, and the ocean is Solaris.”

In this science-fantasy play, a distant planet surprises the astronauts studying it in chilling ways.

Three astronauts conduct research on the fascinating planet Solaris from a space station. When one of them dies, researcher Kelvin (Sara Paasikoski) arrives from the Solaris Institute to investigate. The planet appears to possess supernatural abilities, sending the astronauts manifestations of people from their pasts. This disturbs their minds, challenges their understanding and ethics.

Based on the video logs left by Gib (Kimmo Rasila), Solaris seems to crave love from humans. According to Sartorius (Kirsi Tarvainen), it regards them as prey. Snow (Matti Leino) unsettles the others’ thoughts. The strongest effect is on Kelvin, who is visited by her deceased ex, Ray (Markus Ilkka Uolevi). As everyone struggles to retain control in this strange situation, it leads to dangerous confrontations aboard the station. Could the planet possess consciousness? What does mysterious Solaris truly contain? 

“I find this new stage adaptation of the sci-fi classic phenomenal. I’m especially intrigued by humanity’s relationship with nature. Could beings other than humans have a self? That question feels very timely through the lens of the climate crisis.”

– director Ona Korpiranta

A New Stage Version of the Sci‑Fi Classic

The play was written in 2019 by David Greig and translated into Finnish by Aleksi Milonoff. Originally a novel by Stanisław Lem (1961) and a film by Andrei Tarkovsky (1972), this psychological sci‑fi explores humanity’s relationship with the unknown. This young creative team also focuses on humanity’s need for control and dependency on others.

Working Group

Written by: David Greig
Director: Ona Korpiranta 
Light design: Jari Sipilä
Sound design: Jari Tengström
Set design: Riku Suvitie
Costume design: Tuomas Lampinen
Video design: Sanna Malkavaara
Make-up design: Petriina Suomela
Intimacy Choreographer: Sara-Maria Heinonen
Fight Choreographer: Iiro Heikkilä
Photography: Otto-Ville Väätäinen

Actors:

Markus Ilkka Uolevi, Sara Paasikoski, Matti Leino, Kimmo Rasila, Kirsi Tarvainen, Anna Räikkönen, Aili Kumara

You can request a link for a video by email.

- DIRECTING -

SINÄ PÄIVÄNÄ KUN LUOJA TEKI ISÄN

Venue: Tampereen Teatterikesä 2021, Q-teatteri (2020)
Premiere: 11. March 2020 

”Your father is not perfect.”

Dad walked out when Moona was just a little girl. Since then she and Mom have been stuck between the local Pentacostal church and a criminal gang. Suddenly Dad comes back.

The Day God Created Fathers is a bitingly funny and touching play about missing your father and trying to love someone. In this thesis piece for her MA at the Theatre Academy, writer-director Ona Korpiranta perfectly captures the confusion of her twenty-year-old subject.

How to survive when you’re surrounded by adults who have never grown up? How to break the curses accumulated over several generations – with a baseball bat or with forgiveness?

”A group of next-gen theatremakers paints a moving and bittersweet family portrait with lively comic-book strokes. Wenla Reimaluoto delivers an astonishingly balanced performance that is both exactly on point and totally out there.”

– Festival Artistic Team, Tampere Theatre Festival 

Working Group

Writer and Director: Ona Korpiranta 
Light design: Jaakko Sirainen 
Sound design: Iida Hägglund 
Set design: Päivi Lehtinen 
Costume design: Onerva Luoma
Assistant director: Aamu Milonoff
Photography: Roosa Oksaharju & Sara Urbanski

Actors:

Sami Harjula, Joel Hirvonen, Hannu Kivioja, Elviira Kujala, Ville Mikkonen, Sara Paasikoski, Rebekka Palanne, Wenla Reimaluoto & Asta Sveholm

You can request a link for a video by email.

- DIRECTING -

OTHELLO

Venue: Lahti Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts
Premiere: 22. March 2019

The performance deals with socioeconomic and gender based inequality. The stage consists of a dystopia of Finnish future, with war and corruption. In the heart of the story there is a true love story.

“Take note, take note, O world, / To be direct and honest is not safe"

Working Group

Play: William Shakespeare (Rossi)
Director: Ona Korpiranta
Assistant directors: Roosa Vuokkola & Roosa Honkanen
Choreography: Meri-Tuuli Risberg
Music: Emma Johansson & Virva Immonen
Stage Combat: Eero-Heikki Puustinen
Graphic design: Vincent Kinnunen
Photography: Elisa Kohtanen & Sami Kuusivirta (first photo)
Production design: Working group
Acting teachers: Timo Raita & Aleksi Lavaste

Actors:

Evita Aaltonen, Veera Anttila, Nella Backman, Carita Hiltunen, Roosa Honkanen, Emma Johansson, Valtteri Juvonen, Esme Kaislakari, Ilona Karppelin, Ronja Keiramo, Vincent Kinnunen, Christian Lairikko, Tiia Lyijynen, Sauli Pietarinen, Emma Pälsynaho, Ida Riikonen, Clarissa Rosi, Melina Tolppala, Vilma Tuomi & Roosa Vuokkola

- DIRECTING -

LEIPÄKORIN MUOTOINEN TYTTÖ

Venue: Studio 4, Theatre Academy Helsinki
Premiere: 16 April 2018

"What do you think?
What was it that made you ill?"


Leipäkorin muotoinen tyttö is about the need to be acknowledged by others, the role of parenting and eating disorder. It is a coming of age story about a young woman Johanna who asks herself: “Why did I start to suffer from an eating disorder?”. The scenes in the play are constructed through answering this question in various past situations in Johanna’s life.

The central elements are childhood family atmosphere and Johanna’s relationship to her parents. The writer describes the different ways a child seeks for their parents’ attention and love, and what consequences it may have when those things are not available. The play is a description of the experience of being abandoned but on a larger spectrum it asks important questions about our current society. In what ways do we take care of each other? When does a person become truly visible to others and when/why they do not?

Leipäkorin muotoinen tyttö aims to open a conversation about eating disorders and their prevalence. The playwright claims that eating disorders are deeply embedded in our culture which is actualized in increasing cases of distorted relationship to food and body image. This subject touches so many of us but yet it has not been dealt with too often within the arts or in general. The core perspective in the play is that an eating disorder is easily bypassed by the person suffering from it and also the people around them because of the invisibility of the illness.

Working Group

Writer: Onerva Hannula
Director: Ona Korpiranta
Light and video design: Veli-Ville Sivén
Music and sound design: Atte Kantonen
Set design: Veli-Ville Sivén
Costume design: Atte Kantonen with working group
Photography: Sanni Siira

Actors:

Katriina Sinisalo, Pyry Kähkönen, Alex Anton & Marko Nurmi

You can request a link for a video by email.

- DIRECTING -

DEAD STÄNDING HÄNGERS

Dead Ständing Hängers is a performance that focuses on the relationship between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude. In this modernization Hamlet’s family has been alienated from society and they run a criminal organization now led by his mother Gertrude. The main themes are social exclusion, parenthood and abandonment. This theatre piece mixes principles of documentary theatre, cartoon style and fantasy elements. The dystopian performance is set in the near-future. The actual scenes of the play draw from true life experiences from individuals that have been “through the system” or brought up in families that are involved in organized crime.

“Mother, for love of grace,.
Lay not that flattering unction to your soul. That not your trespass but my madness speaks.”

Working Group

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Writer: Camilla Rantanen with the working group
Director: Ona Korpiranta
Set design: Ruusa Johansson
Sound design: Oula Rytkönen
Costume design: Laura Havimo
Photography: Laura Havimo

Actors:

Veera Herranen, Jutta Järvinen, Emil Khilström & Aapo Puusti

You can request a link for a video by email.

- DIRECTING -

TALVIKUNINKAAN JOULU

Venue: Lahti Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts
Premiere: December 2014

Winter King has hijacked Christmas and kidnapped Santa Claus. Nella and Santeri are afraid that Christmas might become cancelled if Santa Claus is not saved. Nella and Santeri encounter a genie that comes from inside the Christmas calendar. They go on a mission together to save Christmas.

Working Group

Writer: Rosa Kettumäki
Director: Ona Korpiranta
Photography: Jorma Kuha

Actors:

Santa Claus - Peik Siren, Winter king - Aapo Puusti, Nella - Hilla Ruoppila, Santeri - Ville Hilska, Christmas Calendar Genie - Linnea Leino, Gingerbread Cookie baker 1 - Emmi Salervo, Gingerbread Cookie baker 2 - Pyry Kähkönen, Santa’s Elf Tumps - Milla Väänänen, Santa’s Elf Tamps - Antti Tuominen, Santa’s Elf Tomps - Wilma Seppälä, Lucia - Miina Penttinen, King Herod - Pyry Kähkönen, Murian King - Vilhelm Eklund, Knihti - Miko Jaakkola, Mäntti - Otto Rokka, Sauli Niinistö - Markku Harju, President’s advisor- Eero Leichner, Christmas Tree seller - Miko Jaakkola, Mrs. Kuusimäki - Otto Rokka, Nella’s & Santeri’s Mother – Rosa, Winter King’s sidekicks - Emmi, Vilhelm, Eero & Elli

- ACTING -

OVER HER DEAD BODY

Venue: Kallio Stage
Premiere: 3. May 2021

Over her dead body is a stage fairytale about a person named Woman who ends up in a mysterious forest. In the woods she encounters a corpse of a young girl that has been murdered, and a Narrator who is telling the story about that girl. The Woman decides to interviene in the course of events. She asks herself: How can I help that young girl? Does that mean that the Narrator must die?

The play deals with experiencing sexual violence, taking over one’s own story, alliance, corporality and questions related to gender and representation. It asks in what way experiences of violence should be presented, who should present them and what is the role of a victim in a world where one’s own death is seen as picturesque and beautiful. 

Working Group

Writer and Director: Onerva Hannula
Light design: Mikko Hirvonen
Sound design: Iida Hägglund
Set design: Anastasia Paretskoi
Costume design: Katri Nikkola
Make up Artist: Liis Mitjan
Graphic design and Photography: Meri Hiironen

Actors:

Woman - Henna Wallin, Corpse - Saana Rautavaara, Narrator - Talvikki Eerola, Owl - Ona Korpiranta, Fox - Reetta Koskinen, Bear - Emelie Zilliacus & Mouse - Mathilda Kruse

- ACTING -

PULLON HENKI - KARAOKE MUSICAL

Venue: Ylioppilasteatteri - Helsinki Student Theatre
Premiere: 19. April 2014

Pullon henki (Genie in a bottle) is a performance that discusses our alcohol culture in Finnish society. Alcohol. A moment of ease. Drunk. Liquor. Devil. We have enough of markings in our history about it. Poems, spells, lullabys. That's what we sing about. 

Pienet, sievät, seitinohuet.

We go for a drink. Karaoke Musical is a cyclical journey of the hangover of everyday life. We caress it. We make sure it's with us. For Christmas. For New Years. For Midsummer. For wedding. For divorce. For premiere. For funeral.

Jurri, tuiske, tuiteri. Känniperselärvinaama.

The stories repeat. We all know them.

Darra, krapula, kankkunen.
Morkkis.

Working Group:

Director: Miina Penttinen
Text: Miina Penttinen and working group
Choreography: Maaria Nuoranne and working group
Light design: Amy Burgess, Matias Koivuniemi & Noora Pietilä
Sound design: Konsta Leinonen
Music: Onni Korhonen Konsta Leinonen
Costume design: Teija Kiiski
Video design: Elsa Lydia
Graphic design and Photography: Aino Ojanen
Interview: Markku Timonen

Actors:

Ona Korpiranta, Benjamin Klemettinen, Helinä Kumpulainen, Eero Leichner, Maaria Nuoranne, Milla Väänänen, Suvi Rantanen & Elli Saharinen