Events

Theatre Students’ Festivals 2026 at Kuusankoskitalo, 17–19 April 2026, and at Kouvolatalo, 22–25 April 2026.

Theatre students in Kuusankoski and Kouvola will present performances, scenes, and demos they have rehearsed during the school year. Supporters of the group members and all those interested in theatre are warmly welcome. All performances have free entry and no advance booking is required.

Kuusankoskitalo, 17–19 April 2026

The performances will take place in the Voikkaa Hall at Kuusankoskitalo, except for the family-friendly improv set, which is in the gallery.

All performances have free entry and no advance booking is required. The audience will be let into the Voikkaa Hall from the upper lobby once the performers are ready. Please arrive on time. Latecomers may not be admitted safely once the performance has begun.

Friday 17 April

12:00 – Advanced group (ages 11–13): Ihmemaa Oz

(school performance)
Lotta lives on the farm of Uncle Heikki and Aunt Emma. One day, a major storm rises. A tornado sweeps Lotta away and takes her to the magical land of Oz. There she meets a living scarecrow, a rusty Tin Man and a timid Lion. Together they decide to go to the great Wizard of Oz for help: the Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man a heart, the Lion courage, and Lotta simply wants to return home. On their journey, they encounter both the gentle Good Witch of the South and the evil Witch of the North, each having to face and overcome their own fears. Duration: approx. 60 min.

Directed by: Annukka Waara
Original story: Frank Baum
Stage adaptation: Kerttu Hämeranta

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16:00 – Basic course (ages 7–8): Taikametsä

Puhelu Papparainen’s peaceful home life is disrupted when a noisy rapper moves in next door. As punishment, the rapper is sent to spend time in the forest and practise being quiet. The forest, however, turns out to be enchanted, and the rapper meets princess sisters, superhero mice, a bird called Witchwhistle, and a spirited donkey named Allu. But what happens when Puhelu Papparainen himself goes for a walk in the forest? And what do the local police and judge think about the volume level of the forest festivities? Duration: approx. 30 min.

Directed by: Annukka Waara
Text: The working group
Estimated duration: 30 min

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16:40–17:25 – Advanced improvisation group: Family Improv Set (in the gallery)

The advanced improv group creates small stories, tales and scenes inspired by the audience’s ideas and wishes. The storytelling takes place in the first-floor gallery.

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17:30 – Advanced group (ages 9–11): Beauty and the Beast

When a merchant father leaves for a market journey, his eldest children ask for expensive jewellery and clothing as gifts. The youngest, Beauty, asks only for a single rose. On his way, the father becomes lost in a mysterious castle and picks a rose from its garden—this enrages the castle’s master, the terrifying Beast, who demands Beauty herself as payment. But is the Beast truly as fearsome as he appears?

This stage version of the classic tale reflects on difference—what it means, and why it may cause fear—and the power kindness can hold between people. Duration: approx. 60 min.

Directed by: Annukka Waara
Script: Simo Tamminen
Rhymes: Anu Tamminen

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19:00 – Youth Theatre, advanced group: Tapaus romeo ja Julia

The theatre-loving youths are left alone at the theatre. They find the script of one of the world’s most famous plays and begin acting out scenes from it. What does the story look like through modern eyes? Duration: approx. 60 min.

Directed by: Susanna Tiitinen
Original text: William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Finnish translation: Lauri Sipari
Scenes set in the present day: The working group