Tickets now available for Elements Ensemble's Somnium Malum
Teatteri Sujo's 2026 residency work is Somnium Malum, created by Elements Ensemble.
It's time for bed, and I'm a little nervous. I switch off the lights and leap onto the bed in one big jump. I don't dare fall asleep. My eyes roam watchfully around the dark room. The lampshade begins to change shape into the Grim Reaper, and the grandfather clock starts to look like the gnome from a childhood nightmare. What if someone is under the bed? At last I fall asleep. I wake in the middle of the night with a chilling feeling: someone or something is standing in the doorway. I stare at the dark figure, which seems to be searching for its final form. It creeps across the room, closer and closer, and I can't move. What does the figure want?
Mara, Deattán, Märr, Divs, Painaja, Painajainen… a beloved child has many names, beloved and not so beloved… In many different folk traditions, the figures listed above are creatures that disturb our sleep. A malevolent being, often able to change its form whatever the tradition, sits on the sleeper's chest and brings them bad dreams. After the night, the nightmare creature may turn back into an ordinary person, completely unaware of what happened in the dark. Can the sleeper still tell the difference between dream, nightmare, waking life and their own self? In folk traditions, people try to drive the creature away with rituals, magic tricks, spells or a combination of these. But could it be that a gentle encounter might calm the nightmare?
The performance lasts about an hour.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Tickets €23 / €18
Performances
Sunday 2 August, 6 pm, performance cancelled due to wasps
Wednesday 5 August, 6 pm
Friday 7 August, 7 pm
Saturday 15 August, 7 pm
Company
Katarina Suviniitty and Mimmi Herd
Performances take place on Teatteri Sujo's Lantala stage, Pyssymäentie 73, Pörsänmäki
The piece was created during Teatteri Sujo's residency from 20 July to 2 August 2026. The work has been supported by Teatteri Sujo and the City of Iisalmi Cultural Services. The residency has been supported by the Ylä-Savo Foundation
