Panic by Mika Myllyaho - staged reading at the National Theatre

Mika Myllaho: Panic

staged reading

A PanoDrama production at the National Theatre 

March 11th 2009

Hungarian translation: Nóra Falk

Max         Marcell Miklós

Leo           Tamás Szabó Kimmel

Joni         Zalán Makranczi

Dramaturg and producer   Anna Lengyel

Directed by Roland Rába

Sponsored by Finnagora

One of the most exciting European countries for new drama today is Finland. The Helsinki Theatre Academy has a playwriting program which is responsible for bringing out the most gifted playwrights (and directors) with very different voices from Kristian Smeds through Juha Jokela to Mika Myllyaho on the male side, as well as some of the most brilliant women writers in modern theatre from Sirkku Peltola to Anna Krogerus. Laura Ruohonen, perhaps the most successful Finnish playwright internationally is now head of the playwriting programme.

Founding director of PanoDrama Anna Lengyel has had an intense working relationship with Finnish theatres and authors for over three years and promotes the plays of Nordic Drama Corner as their Hungarian partner.

A staged reading of PanoDrama with the Hungarian Dramaturgs' Guild at the Hungarian Theatre Festival POSzT in 2008 was Juha Jokela's Mobile Horror translated for that occasion. 

The spring of 2009 was devoted to the brilliant comic playwright and director Mika Myllyaho. The first event was a staged reading of Panic. A play about three men in their thirties at the verge of a nervous breakdown is a hilarious comedy of our days, one that runs with full houses of medium theatres all over Finland. 

The Hungarian reading was preceded by a more detailed rehearsal period stretching through a month, but only about three times a week three hours. The actors and the director were all involved in productions of the theatre and had rehearsals and performances in the mornings and the evenings.

The result was a half-staged production, which proved to be such a hit as no one expected it to be. The National Theatre is contemplating producing the full production next year. PanoDrama will in this case waive its right for a first production, but in case the National choses not to produce the show, PanoDrama will.