no36
Dreamers

ULFSAK

NO36 The Dreamers is a stage production about young people who simultaneously seek intense fellowship with the world and at the same time wish to withdraw from it completely. Like all contemporary people, they are aware that they should change what is around them – and still they are attracted to a hut in the mountains instead. Their only chance for relating to the world is sensitive, sadistic and cruel games with one another, erotic and gentle touches. Building a shelter out of sheets and gum, where one can hide from the world, and there with the help of leather gloves, kisses and a hot water bag to strive towards something that it would be possible to believe in, even if only for a split second. Their only weapon is a guitar, drums and a microphone, into which to sing words that only they themselves understand. A scream said outwards that is aimed at oneself. Inability to be sincere, inability to be ironic.

Juhan Ulfsak’s stage production NO36 The Dreamers is partially based on Bernardo Bertolucci’s film The Dreamers and Jean Cocteau’s book Les Enfants Terribles. As in Ulfsak’s other stage productions, he ties together surreality and reality, decadence and the present day, poetry and sharp cuts. Jakob Juhkam has written the music and performs it on stage as a band together with the actors. “About 25 minutes of the best outsider metal that has ever been done in Estonia was produced. Nobody had ambitions to put together a proper band, to get somewhere with it, to win the approval of the local scene. There wasn’t time even to hold enough band rehearsals for this production and thanks to this, the live music pushed by Jacob in the NO36 production is immensely raw. It boldly flirts with styles and stylistics, seizes extremism, and treats often too stoic metal attitude much more freely. And since the performers on stage are actors, we also see acting in the performance, and this is many times richer in nuances, in both appearance and movement, compared to the stage show of a so-called proper black metal band. In short, some sort of hipsters came along and they do fringe metal many times better than orthodox head bangers.” (Trash Can Dance)

It is Bernardo Bertolucci's film “The Dreamers” and Jean Cocteau's book “Les Enfants Terribles” that serve as reference points for "NO36 Dreamers". 

On stage and music - actors of Theatre NO99 Rea Lest, Jörgen Liik, Simeoni Sundja and resident composer at Theatre NO99, Jakob Juhkam. Light and video Petri Tuhkanen, costumes and drawings Kärt Hammer, dramaturg Eero Epner.

Premiere on April 8 2017

Duration is one hour and 25 minutes, without intermission.