Male Live
“It’s said that men don’t cry. But have you seen when, in the last hours before dawn, Ville Peltonen’s three-goal night is scrolled up on YouTube? At that moment, when the puck inevitably finds the back of the net for the third time, there’s shouting, ‘there it rests’, and phrases are stretched out in sync with Mertaranta. Samu stands with a solitary tear in his eye.”
Male Live is a series of snapshots from the world of men. It depicts images and feelings of being a man and the absence thereof. What is a man? What are the many roles of a man? Male is one of the legal genders. What else?
This performance delves deeply into the complexities of masculinity and how the male role is experienced and seen in our society. It emphasizes how the role of a man does not emerge from nothing. It is not merely biology or “natural” but is built from expectations, relationships, and life experiences.
This piece tells how masculinity can be delicate or even painful, yet also full of bursts of joy and clatter. Male Live is a thought-provoking look into the essence of manhood and how norms shape our perception of masculinity.
“Those who say men don’t cry are usually men. They say it’s not characteristic of men. But the men who don’t cry, they are the ones who are really messed up. Or maybe they are just normal, good guys. Stable and calm, like men are supposed to be.”
Performers: Atte Herd, Joni Kuokkanen, and Jukka Nurmela
Choreography and Direction: Matti Paloniemi
Sound Design and composing: Lauri Uusitalo
Texts: Jyri Ollila
Costume Design: Mirkka Nyrhinen
Lighting Design: Janne Teivainen