The Gynecologist is non-verbal, mimic and comedic exploration inside the human body.
The solo work of Emma Castrén is an example of what mime can be in today’s contemporary theatre.
The world premiere of the show was in Tehdas Teatteri’s Vintti stage 18th of February 2022 and is going to be touring internationally.x
What if you could peek inside yourself? The Gynecologist is a journey into the inner world of the body told through the language of mime. A gynecologist, Dr. Freon, dives into the patient’s uterus in a search for a solution to her painful ailments.
The performance created by specialists in physical comedy operates in two coexisting spaces and scales, looking at the eco-catastrophe with a uterine hysteroscope. Climate change is like endometriosis* : a chronic inflammation in the womb where life begins. A disease that destroys the planet’s immune system and leads to the extainction of species.
The Gynecologist combines audiovisual design with carefully detailed miming, the tradition of physical theatre with modern storytelling, and science with art.
The Gynecologist approaches serious topics through gentle comedy, playing on the frontiers of the intimate stage: the ecosystem of the fallopian tube is deserted, a sandstorm rages in the ovary, an oil spill causes menstrual disorders, bacteria important to the body suffocate in microplastics…
The mime show that tickles the brain and the belly has been produced in collaboration with Kallo Collective. The medical consultant of the work has been an expert in gynecology.
* Endometriosis affects up to 200,000 people in Finland.
*Note: the performance includes bright light effects*
Working group and partners:
Concept & performer: Emma Castrén
Director: Jenni Kallo
Lighting designer: Vilma Vantola
Sound designer: Iida Hägglund
Set Designer: Gemma Tweedie
Costume designer: Mirva Mietala
Stage assistant: Oscar Dempsey
Medical expert: Laura Elo
Production: Tehdas Teatteri & Kallo Collective
The performance is supported by: Niilo Helander Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Samuel Huber Art Foundation, City of Helsinki
In cooperation with: Korento ry (patient organization of people living with endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS and vulvodynia)
Gig enquiries: sari@kallocollective.com
The Gynecologist in media:
https://www.ts.fi/kulttuuri/5571706
https://www.ts.fi/kulttuuri/5574739
