A woman stares upwards in distress while sitting down. Behind her a sign says Helena.
Our Productions

13 Sunken Years

Presented by Stellar Quines and Lung Ha Theatre Companies, in association with Finnish National Theatre

Set in a remote Finnish town, 13 Sunken Years is the story of three generations of women dealing with loss in their lives one way or another but finding strength from each other and from the landscape that surrounds them.

Three women, three generations, tied together not only by blood but also by the magic of the river that runs through their remote Finnish town. One day Eva’s Mother disappears…

It happened on the day of her school graduation, her mother disappears and her grandmother is diagnosed with dementia. As Eva tries to make sense of her life now that pieces of her world are missing, past memories seem to rise out of the mist on the river.

This was the UK Premiere of Finnish playwright Paula Salminen’s haunting and poignant play (Originally awarded ‘Best New Play’ in Finland 2012) and was translated and edited for this production by Eva Buchwald.

This production was chosen as part of Made in Scotland 2014, a curated showcase of Scottish performance on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014, supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. It is a partnership between the Festival Fringe Society, the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST), the Scottish Music Centre and Creative Scotland.

On 21st and 22nd of May 2015 this production was revived, touring to Finnish National Theatre – Helsinki, Finland. For these two performances the role of Ursula Koskinen was played by Joanna Tope and the role of Eki Kostinen was played by Andy Clark. All other roles were played by the same cast. Jessica Ward was Stage Manager for the tour.

Assembly Rooms Fringe, Edinburgh: 11 – 24 August 2014 (Not 18)

Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock: 26 August 2014

Paisley Arts Centre, Paisley: 27 August 2014

Heart of Hawick, Hawick: 29 August 2014

Finnish National Theatre, Helsinki: 21 – 22 May 2015

13 Sunken Years Production

13 Sunken Years in Rehearsal

Reviews


“…there’s an insistent, pulsing energy in Maria Oller’s production…”

Joyce McMillan – The Scotsman

“Each character is well drawn and an imaginative set, atmospheric lighting and music, complement nimble direction from Maria Oller.”

Ken Wilson – TV Bomb

Cast

Crew

Project Collaborators & Funders