IF YOU ASK US Will Come to The Finnish National Youth Theatre

The Finnish National Youth Theatre will present if you ask us at the Finnish National Theatre's Small Stage in Helsinki beginning Oct. 14. The production will run through Nov. 2, with performances also scheduled for Oct. 16, 24, 26 and Nov. 2.

if you ask us is a new performance created by the Finnish National Youth Theatre, a group of young theater makers who work with experienced artists to explore questions surrounding who is allowed to make theater and who it is for. The production does not use a pre-existing play or ready-made script. Instead, the material was created in the rehearsal room through improvisation and task-based exercises before being edited and developed with the performers.

The production follows a group of young people who come together onstage to explore how people can live and work together. Through discussion and movement, the performers examine differences and spaces between themselves while attempting to construct and dismantle ideas of utopias, dystopias, cities, towers, temples and possible futures. The production also explores questions of language, truth, tradition and modernity.

The Finnish National Youth Theatre began working on the production in January 2026. The group includes young theater makers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Finland, Kurdistan, Somalia and Syria. The project is part of Lähettiläät | Ambassadors, which gives young people from diverse backgrounds opportunities to explore and share subjects that are important to them, including through workshops in communities across the Helsinki metropolitan area.

The cast features Ridwan Ahmed, Asma Akbari, Zahra Akbari, Maria Akter, Sabrina Ali, Adnan Almousa, Maryam Barbery, Juho Hagan, Iiris Linna, Tilma Lucenius, Yusra Mohali, Iftah Mohamed, Arvand Rasul, Ada Safdari and Kaneli Samola. Tamara Searle serves as concept and director, with the National Youth Theatre members credited as concept and performers. Ville Vuorikoski is responsible for concept and dramaturgy, Olli Valkola handles videography and sound design, Miika Suomalainen is the lighting designer and Roosa Vaverka is the producer.

if you ask us will be performed in Finnish, English, Somali, Bengali, Arabic, Turkish and Dari, with Finnish and English subtitles available. English captioning through the Subtitle Mobile App will be available for the Oct. 14, Oct. 16, Oct. 24, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 performances. The production is recommended for audiences ages 12 and older.

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