Sirkku Peltola

Playwright, The Finnhorse

Sirkku Peltola is one of Finland’s most frequently performed playwrights and most distinguished directors. Her plays have been commissioned by many Finnish theatres, several of which have received awards. Peltola’s work often describes the world we live in, with all its bizarre families and misfits from the margins of society, communities in which elements of social change are reflected with crystal clarity.

Her texts embrace contemporary social issues: e.g. Mummun saappaassa soi fox (2000, Gran’s Wellington Fox) portrays a family in which the parents have washed their hands of their children and relinquished all sense of responsibility. Haikarapolska (1999, The stork polka) is about the destructive consequences of fertility treatment on the relationship of a barren couple.

Peltola´s characters have a crazy, caricature-like quality but are nonetheless amply fleshed out, making them hilarious yet deeply tragic characters that are recognizable to us all.

The dialogue is light and airy - a rapid volley, rich in sub-text, which allows the actors plenty of room for interpretation. Peltola employs all the color of modern slang and is no stranger to dialect. Her ear is attuned to the tones and rhythms of everyday speech and her plays combine deadpan realism with a sense of the grotesque.

In Peltola’s work, the poignantly funny absurdities of everyday life are brought sharply into focus.

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