The Permit/The State
A bilingual allegorical play about the Finnish immigration system. 4 parts
Tillståndet (The Permit or The State) was commissioned by the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki in 2016. The play was inspired by the stories of asylum seekers who arrived in Finland in 2015, and was developed with support from Refuhome.
An abridged and revised adaptation of the final script was performed as part of a unique tour by the Swedish Theater in 2017 and 2018. Actors Cecilia Paul, Boodi Kabbani, Hanan Sneih and Alexandr Foy performed the text as rehearsed readings in private homes and public events in the greater Helsinki area. The readings were directed by Cecilia Paul and facilitated by Ann-Louise Gauffin.
The play tells the story of a forest in desperate need of a stable care plan, an over-zealous civil servant, two over-worked forest workers and a hopeful immigrant apprentice hindered by bureaucracy. It is an allegory about the dangers of short-sighted choices and the inability to recognize resources and opportunities.
The play is available as a full-length play and a revised, abridged adaptation Both were written in Swedish, but include several scenes partially or completely in English.
“Jag måste säga att jag hade förväntat mig en mer samarbetsvillig attityd. Eftersom ni är bland de mest kvalificerade skogsvårdarna i hela distriktet så antog vi på Skogsmyndigheten att ni skulle vara intresserade av att delta i ett spännande och nyskapande initiativ som det här. Men om ni känner att ni inte är uppgiften mogen kan vi säkert omplacera er-”
— Arvid
Reviews and articles (in Swedish):
Möten mellan människor viktigast för att krossa fördomar (Hufvudstadsbladet)
Med Rocky-musik och satir utforskar Tillståndet arbete och överlevnad (Svenska Yle)
Bröd och skådespel i vardagsrummet (Hufvudstadsbladet)