PROJECTS
MINNA CUNT
2019 | Producer and puppet maker
Minna Cunt is a feminist monologue about the hate against women who speak out.
Directors and playwriters: Sara Koiranen and Vilja Lehtonen
Performer: Noora Happonen
@ Jouni Kuru, Brave Teddy
Teatteri Mundo
Premier 8.11.2019
Bread and Puppet Theatre
2018 & 2019 | Performer and a puppeteer
There are three main styles of show that are performed during the summer: A puppet circus, performed outdoors in a ring; a pageant, performed with very large puppets in a huge meadow; and an indoor, evening show. The company also participates in a number of local parades, one could consider this a fourth style of performance unto itself. On top of the regular theater work I also contributed to daily chores like cooking, gardening, dishes, recycling runs, cleaning the farm, lugging and loading puppets etc.
Bread & Puppet Theater, one of the oldest non-commercial and self-supporting theaters in the country, has created political puppet shows with a commitment to community participation for 53 years. At present, our shows are anti-war, anti-capitalism and anti-globalization, while simultaneously being pro-beauty-of-nature, pro-collaboration, and pro-antagonization-of-the-mind.
Summer seasons 2018 & 2019
Photo: John Bell
Once upon a time there was a child
2019 | Performer, musician and script writer
Once upon a time there was a child -children’s play was made by having workshops with children from kindergarten and gathering data about children’s lives today. I was with Helsinki City Theatre and we had four workshops with four different kindergarten groups (ages 5- and 6-year-olds). With the data gathered from workshops we scripted the play and performed it back to the children and some elderly as well.
Director: Jenny Jumppanen
Performers: Anna-Maria Vänskä, Laura Ikonen, Janne Puustinen ja Aleksi Kinnunen
Photo: Annika Miettinen
March to May 2019
Helsinki City Theatre
Part of Valokeilassa Koillinen -project: www.valokeilassakoillinen.fi
Jättiläinen (Giant) - a tale of a man and the nature
2018 | Director, sound designer, producer
Giant – a tale of a man and the nature is a puppetry performance about encounter of humans and giants, and the relationship between the mankind and the environment. The performance addressed logging and the exploitation of natural resources.
Performance is Anna-Maria Vänskä's artistic thesis in her performing arts degree in Turku Arts Academy.
Performers: Sinimaria Tomperi, Sanna Leinonen, Henna Pötsönen, Valtteri Alanen ja Konsta Hormia
Light designer: Vilja Eteläkoski
Scenography: Miia Varis
Photo: Niko Tampio
1.-7.11.2018
Turku Arts Academy
Veden ääniä (Sounds of Water)
2018 | Puppeteer
Performance is a expedition of two pianists and three drama instructors to the world of paper and a four hand piano composition.
Performers Siiri Ylijoki ja Ilona Sekiguchi sekä Jutta Lahtinen, Valtteri Alanen ja Anna-Maria Vänskä
Composer: Marko Autio
Sigyn, Turku Arts Academy
10.-12.10.2018
WWW³ (WORLD WIDE WEB / WILD WO.MEN WITCHES / WORLD WITHOUT WORK)
2018 | Voice Actress
Recording English text as part of Marie-Andrée Godin’s project while in Titanik residency
During her residency in Titanik, she is working on a sound based project she entitled Glossary – WWW³ (WORLD WIDE WEB / WILD WO.MEN WITCHES / WORLD WITHOUT WORK) where she attempt to build the soundtrack of a spoken glossary of many terms and concept that are relative to the theoretical framework(s) of her research.
NÄE MINUT -play
2018 | Director
A role that use to be comfortable can suddenly feel cramped and too defying. What happens when one tries to free themselves from the role but the environment won't let it?
Combining dark humor and traditional family drama, the piece addresses the meaning of being accepted and the freeing yourself from those old roles.
Other ones dream can be entrapment for someone else.
On stage Mikko Karisto, Anni Suvanto, Tiia Saarinen and Nuppu Ervasti
Grafics Konsta Hormia
Sound designer Petri Huhtala
Sceografy Emilia Linnavuori
Lighting designer Paulo Machado
Premier 14.2.2018
Turku Arts Academy
Täydellinen päivä -play
2017 | Producer
Director Alina Kilpinen
Producers Anna-Maria Vänskä and Idamaria Laine
18 performances
Visitors: 700+
Capacity utilization rate: 83%
Media: Culture Collective Turku, Turun Sanomat, Aamuset, Tylkkari, Auran Aallot
Time: From April to December 2017
Premier 23.9.2017
Student Theatre of Turku
Tall Ships Races Turku
2017 | Puppeteer and performer
Walpuri the sperm whale puppet swam in the audience and stopped on occasion to receive hugs and pettings especially from children.
Shiprats on Deck (Laivarotat kannella) was an improvisation performance.
Shiprats on Deck: Sinimaria Tomperi, Iiris Syrjä and Anna-Maria Vänskä
Walpuri the Sperm Whale
Consept and director: Valtteri Alanen
Head of Construction: Helena Markku
Puppeteers: Anna-Maria Vänskä, Jenni Kontio and Joonas Kankare
20.-22.7.2017
Tall Ships Races Turku, City of Turku
Kulttuuriosuuskunta Karisma
Toivon, että kaikki menee hyvin -play
2017 | Performer and light desinger
Performers interviewed asylum seekers/refugees (12-25 years old) and from the material gathered from the interviews the performers created a performance.
Performance aims to in increase a two-way integration between young asylum seekers/refugees and Finnish citizens.
Document theatre performance as part of Hundred apple trees – multicultural Finland –project. Project is financed by Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and coordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences.
Performers: Elena Rekola, Jutta Lahtinen, Joanna Savikurki and Anna-Maria Vänskä
Director: Akseli Sveholm
17.-18.5.2017
Turku Arts Academy
Mahdollisuus nuoruuteen -charity champaign
2017 | Workshop leader and part of the production team
Mahdollisuus nuoruuteen (Posibility to Youth) is a charity champaign, which funds will be channeled to Nakivale refugee settlement in Uganda. The purpose is to give the children and youngsters in Nakivale better circumstances for self expression by funding group activities. The funds will be delivered through Finnish Refugee Council.
I planned a workshop to the charity event on 11th of March in Ruoholahti. The event was targeted for young adults from all backgrounds.
Sillä maasta sinä olet tullut -radio drama
2017 | Voice actress
Murder thriller taking place in immigration department.
Concept: Petri Tuominen, Valtteri Alanen and Martta Pesonen
Director: Petri Tuominen
Sound designer: Valtteri Alanen
1.2.-1.5.2017
Radio Tutka
KÄRÄHTÄNEEN YÖPERHOSEN LAULU ELI VALO ON IKÄÄNKUIN AUKKO PIMEÄSSÄ REITTI ULOSPÄIN.
2016 | Director and producer
Achievement, execution, straightening, seminar, research, mess around, stop.
We all execute, nowadays it's part of our survival instinct. Where does this lead to? What is over achieving? What happens when no one is telling what to do?
Musicians: Tommi Kiiski and Aleksi Putkinen
Performers: Antti Tuominen, Lotta Jäppinen and Sinimaria Tomperi
Director: Anna-Maria Vänskä and performers
Part of Kun kaksi kohtaa -performance.
1.-2.12.
Turku Arts Academy
Syksy muuttaa linnut - investigation of existence, time and place
2016 | Performer
Performance made to Arts Academy Night in November 2016.
Performers: Henry Pöyhiä, Vilja Lehtonen, Marianna Metsälampi and Anna-Maria Vänskä
8.11.2017
Turku Arts Academy
Jumalten Pyykkivuoro -devising play
2016 | Actress
Due to Greek financial crisis mountain Olympos has been reconstructed. Forgotten Gods which had lived on the mountain for millennia have to move among the mortals and start all over in Kumpula, Helsinki. There are various calls from the middle of the pile of laundry when the Gods get to know their new environment and settle their differences. Each one wants to be hear and seen and find a meaning to once being in this time, but will the forest reply when yelled?
Director: Siiri Ervasti
Script: Ensemble
Photos: Inari Sandell
29.7.-20.8.2016
Kumpula Forest Theatre, Helsinki Basement Theatre
Actor, Demeter
Yksinäinen Nainen - monologue
2016 | Actress
Who do we make the decisions in life for?
Part of Osa Lue Mun Huulilta: MONOLOGI -performance
Actor: Anna-Maria Vänskä
Director: Tanja Heinämäki
3.-4.3.2016
Turku Arts Academy
Laboratorio Marionette Sapiens vol 2. Nevróspastos - String Pulled
2016 | Sound designer
Laboratorio Marionette Sapiens is a string puppet research laboratory, founded in 2014 by Anna Karmala. Laboratorys task is to investigate and to develop opportunities of string puppet ideology in visual performing arts.
At the moment laboratorys work is focused on developing Humani -technique. Humani is a new string puppet technique created by Anna Karmala. Basic idea behind Humani is to explore if and how it would be possible to replace string puppet controller with a human body.
Humani is combination of puppetry, kinetic art and manual 3D thinking.
25.-30.4.
Turku Arts Academy
Sweeney Todd -musical
2012 | Actress