Mental Finland Allstars band plays one time only improvisational sensational jazz Odyssey at corner bar the Bidge (Theatre cafe) of KVS theatre, Brussels sat 31.1.2009 22:00! Be there!
Archive for January, 2009
Mental Finland band gig! today!
Friday, January 30th, 2009Visitor from Bigurubiguruland
Thursday, January 29th, 2009We had biggest popstar of the biguru -speaking word honoring us with a visit, and yes, we made a video!
Headquarters calling
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009Tuesday mornings are dedicated to the Smeds Ensemble intern stuff, updating the current and future planning. Sometimes it feels a bit crazy to think about the year 2011 while being in the middle of the most exciting rehearsal process… But that’s the way it goes: both feet on the ground, and the head already firmly in the clouds.
Pictured here - A masterplan!
ps. It’s rather nice to be here at warm urban Brussels - after all this is how it really looks in Finland (the real one, not mental) currently:
Multinational yes yes, but also a Belgian team
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009We brought quite an army of people from all over the world to work at the KVS, but still wouldn’t survive without their magnificent own staff. Here just some of the indispensable people:
Gérard, or also called Keke (Formula 1 fans know why), is the Technical Director of KVS, but in Mental Finland also designing the light.
Stage Manager Jean knows all about props, whether it’s about finding perfect toy helicopters or organising freezer space for 15 bunches of birch twigs (saunavihdat!).
Véronique cooks everybody daily a fresh meal in the KVS cantine. Warm, healthy and good. Even in Belgium it’s not possible to keep cool only by eating chocolates…
Lots of new misdisinformation and such online for all!
Monday, January 26th, 2009Article on Mental Finland & Kristian at Embassy of Finland, Brussels homepage, in english, finnish (suomeksi!), svenska, français and nederlands.
Article on Mental Finland & Smeds by KVS dramaturg Ivo Kuyl in english, french and flemish- ”Theatre should be a wolf and not a sheep“ (.PDF)
And also the basic Mental Finland -info page on KVS website has been updated with picture gallery and all.
All singing all dancing mentalpunkband
Monday, January 26th, 2009We like challenges and we also like to create them for others. Most of our actor crew has played some musicals instruments last time in their teens, but here we wanted actors to form a band, and a band they formed indeed. After the shocking start, people seem to be very excited about playing, and some times it really takes an effort to get some people NOT to play their guitar very loud distorted 100W indeed. Does the band have a name yet… ?
Second illegal broadcast
Saturday, January 24th, 2009The second run-through on Friday night was a small success. We got a strong sense of being on the right path, and I guess confused our little test audience completely… 2 1/2 weeks to go until the premiere!
Juhan using all his strength against Ana:
H-P would just like to perform a little bikuru, but the guys don’t seem very keen on letting him…
videokinoeye
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Many scenes that are happening inside our Mental Finland shipping container audience can see only via video screens, so camera operators are in very important role. Gladly we have just the right persons for the job: Lennart from Germany and Margareta from Norway. It’s amazing where they can fit in with their cameras.
Concentrate, meditate…
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009To put together a huge stage performance consisting of different art forms and challenging physical and visual elements, above all, a lot of thinking is needed. Director Kristian Smeds and choreographer Ari Numminen here at work.
Oops…well, you need maximum concentration on stage, too.
true multinational business, yes yes
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009In our working group we have people of 10 different nationalities. I guess around here in EUROPE it’s nothing so special, but for us, mental Finns, it’s totally something new, and I can honestly say that it’s super. Pictured here: Actors standing, dancers sitting.
Set design by Jurate
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009Jurate is our set and dress designer artist from Lithuania. She has worked and toured the world a lot with Oskaras Koršunovas and now she is here to play with us!
Polyphony of languages is so nice - Jurate is not speaking English so well, so we mostly speak with her via translator Reeta who speaks Lithuanian, Kalle and Gerard speak German and our Estonian actors Eva and Juhan Russian with her.
Jurate (in the middle) pictured here with her son Mikolas and translator Reeta
Sound design from Linz
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
What we do for living, Part II
Monday, January 19th, 2009
No pain, no gain?
Sunday, January 18th, 2009What was supposed to be the dancers’ routine warm-up every morning, has suddenly turned into a mass movement within the crew - Pilates classes! Sure thing is: if it doesn’t hurt the next day, you’re probably doing something wrong.
Is it a six-pack I see over there…?
First full broadcast
Saturday, January 17th, 2009Had first proper run thru last night. Mixed feelings perhaps but positive.
City of demonstrations
Friday, January 16th, 2009serious indiankillingwildfuckingwestbusiness
Thursday, January 15th, 2009Last Monday we became the kings of the castle by moving from the rehearsal space to the Real Thing, KVS’ main stage called the BOL. As soon as the container and the screens were more or less set up, it came to the first technicoloured collision between the Finnish Nachos and their incredible Indian counterparts.
Milton, with a turquoise shade of Stefan in the background:
The Chief has access to more places than any MEP could ever dream of:
Mental Finland TV promo 2
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
City cowboys
Saturday, January 10th, 2009After 7 days, 10 rehearsals, thousands of technical details, loads of weird dreams and one unforgettable sauna event:
Mental Finland is starting to spread its spirit all over the city…
Mental Finland TV promo 1
Saturday, January 10th, 2009