ConTempo from artist's point of view

Questions

How did the performances go in Kaunas?
How is the overall feeling about the performances during ConTempo Festival?

Aati: Performances went well, every performance was sold out. I was happy to witness a lot of age diversity in the audience. It felt like our performance was speaking to many kinds of people. Audience was on board with participatory actions especially in the latter performances. In the last performance the audience went amazingly wild for interacting with the particles, which was great fun.

Valtteri: As Aati said, the performances went very well. In the first shows the audience was a bit shyer than what we got used to in Prague and Turku, but I think we learnt to navigate their expectations and energies quite fast and had good fun in every show.

Iiris: I agree with Aati and Valtteri. Thanks for Impulse project and Aura of Puppets that offered for me the possibility to join the gig in Kaunas. It was meaningful to see it performed in a library, as a fan of books, and as a dramaturg seeing how the performance was received in a place where our group is not quite known yet.

Do you find this experience different from other international gigs?

Aati: This was the first international gig with the performance. This was very important for us as a group, luckily Impulse-program made it possible for all of us to join in this gig and that was very special and meaningful. This was also the first time I produced a gig and Valtteri was his first time as a technical manager. We and the whole group learned a lot.

Valtteri: Yes it was exciting! I have done plenty of technical work and performing on international gigs, but this was indeed the first time I had the main responsibility for the technical implementation of our show. I was very nervous at first, despite being familiar with all the usual stuff from previous experience in other positions, but the festival staff was very helpful and communication with the technical team was straightforward and clear. What comes to perspective, I’d say that the festival made it clear that international touring can be joyful and sustainable when preparations are done well, resources are sufficient and they are utilized smartly.

Iiris: In addition to Into the Lab premiere-shows in Czech Republic last spring, this was my first experience of an international gig with a performance. I agree with Aati that the attending of the whole group was special. Also it was not only meaningful but also very useful. We got some really useful practical knowledge for Trial & Theatre future gig planning and producing just because we had the possibility to discuss and reflect together and make notes on the go.

Did this visit give you new perspectives on international touring? Do you find festival or performance visits abroad more accessible after this project? Or was this experience similar to others?

Aati: During spring 2024 we drove from Finland to Prague to make this performance. It was intense, but doable. This time the drive, from Helsinki to Kaunas, was very easy. We noticed that the whole Baltic region is very accessible from Finland, which is promising.

Iiris: To my mind it feels certainly easier next time when we have had this experience.

Did you manage to meet other inspiring artists or make contacts with international colleagues?

Aati: We met quite a lot of new colleagues, thanks to meetings organized by Jesper Dolgov and Taru Tuomisto. A lot of warm contacts to the Baltic Region, especially from Latvia Puppet Theater. Lucky for us, we will visit their theater in a few days, while we will visit the Homo Novus festival in Riga.

Valtteri: Indeed we met many artists and professionals in the field, and had good experiences all around. Also our visit to Kaunas Puppet Theater was a very nice addition to the program. I was very inspired by the usage of 3D-printing and composite materials utilized in the workshop, alongside traditional materials and craftsmanship displayed in the puppets.

Iiris: Local puppet Theatre was amazing to see. Especially in the tour important for me was a possibility to perceive the cultural history of the city, Leliu Teatras founders and their ideas about developing a cultural centre for kids using puppetry as a vehicle for that.

Did you manage to meet other inspiring artists or make contacts with international colleagues?

Aati: Kaunas itself felt like a very welcoming and friendly city. Food was good in every corner we sat to eat. Super long pedestrian street is pleasant to walk and every other street in the center is still quiet. It was also nice to cool down in crossing rivers with nice cool water and strong current. The ConTempo festival had an interesting program that wasn’t too easy for the audience and still every performance looked sold out. Well done, ConTempo!

Visiting Kaunas state puppet theatre
Photo: Iiris Syrjä

The equipment travelled from Finland to Lithuania onboard a Skoda Yeti. Photo: Aati Hanikka

Performing Nano Steps – Into the Lab
Photo: Danas Macijauskas, ConTempo Festival