Oliver Hjertum Jarsve (15 years old)

Encounters. Oslo by The Feminist Secret Society of Helsinki is a theatre experience that is an experiment. The concept is to have two adult actors repeat everything that two invisible teenagers say to each other. Before I saw it, I was very skeptical. I simply thought it would just be lame, or that it simply wouldn't work. What if the two young people didn't click?

I thought it would be all risk no reward, but it worked surprisingly well. The start was as expected, a little fumbling and uncomfortable. But what turned things around was when the young people started joking and kidding together. It was especially funny when they started talking about food. One of them was a vegetarian, and the other loved kebabs. The silly tone made the conversation easy and it got even better when they found something more important to talk about. 

They bonded over strict and foreign parents. Here it suddenly became very honest and close. The more they found the tone with each other, the better it became. You really got the feeling that they were connecting and that we were getting to know them a little. 

The most important thing for me was that this felt completely real. A lot of the credit goes to the actors. They were just supposed to repeat words, but they couldn't hide everything. When one person said something stupid or funny, the actor struggled. They smiled or shook their heads. These little reactions were absolutely crucial. They showed that it really wasn't staged. The actors were just as surprised as we were by what was being said.

Why was the conversation so honest? I think it's because of how the show is made. The teenagers could speak completely freely because they were anonymous. They didn't have to sit on stage. I think the actors were important for the anonymity, they might not have said what they said if it weren't for the anonymity. It gave them the freedom to be vulnerable.

Encounters. Oslo is proof that theater can be a real experiment, and that human contact can occur in the strangest ways. I didn't think it would work, but it turned out to be an incredibly cool and real experience.

---

Very cool concept

By Synnøve Helene Hernæs (15 years old)

The performance Encounters, which was performed on November 24th at Black Box Theater, is an improvisational performance and a concept created by The Feminist Secret Society of Helsinki (FSSH).

During the performance, we get to witness a real first meeting between two strange teenagers. The teenagers are hidden in their own rooms and connected to their respective actors on stage via microphones and earplugs. The teenagers cannot hear each other, but only the actor who represents the teenager they are talking to. On the stage are two bar stools and a high table. On the table are two glasses of water and a jug of water, and behind it is a red curtain. One of the ladies is wearing brown clothes and boots. The other lady is wearing denim clothes. The actors on stage repeat word for word what the teenager they are “playing” says. The conversation starts off slowly with an attempt to get to know each other a little, but it doesn’t take long before we get an impression of their personalities and how different they are both as people and what they are interested in. The conversation gradually develops from a conversation that can be compared to a survey to a more intimate and personal conversation where they touch on various topics. For example, they both feel that those around them, such as parents and friends, have too high expectations of them. They also feel insecure about whether they are making their choices based on what they want, or what others want. Religion and culture are also an important part of their conversation and they often come back to how this affects everyday life and the choices they make.

Less prejudice?

What really happens when two people meet for the first time without seeing or hearing anything more than their words? Prejudices are very common when meeting someone for the first time. The first thing you notice is what they are wearing, how they look and how old they are. In this conversation, the only person who hears what the actor who is representing the other teenager is saying is the teenager. This makes it difficult for them to have prejudices about each other, as they have not met each other either.

More vulnerability

Body language is an important factor in our communication, we look at facial expressions to see if someone is happy, disappointed, angry or irritated. The teenagers do not see each other and therefore do not get to see each other's body language. They also do not get to see how they speak to or respond to what they say. This weakens the communication between them and makes it more difficult for them to understand each other. They also do not hear each other's voices, which is one of the first things you notice when you meet someone and which plays a big role in the impression you get of someone. On the other hand, it was probably easier for the teenagers to open up and talk without so much filter, as no one saw them or heard each other's voices. Would the conversation have been different if they could see each other or if we as the audience could see them? I think so.

 I think the conversation seemed real, even though the people we saw on stage and who were talking were not the ones who were actually having the conversation. It created a slightly strange mix of distance and closeness, as we were very close to the conversation, but at the same time far away. The performance makes me reflect on how clear and important the face is when talking to someone, what prejudice can do to a conversation and how not having anyone sees you affects what you share and what you don't. The performance also made me think about how I had experienced being in the same situation. I think having a conversation with someone when the exterior is gone and all that's left are the words would have been a bit scary, but also liberating. If the person I'm talking to doesn't see me or know who I am, that person has nothing to say or think about me before we start talking. I think I myself would have managed to talk more without a filter than when I talk to someone face to face. All in all, I think this is a very cool concept and a good performance that I recommend everyone to see.

---

A conversation completely without a face

by Wilma Grundetjern (15 years)

The whole concept worked so that two teenagers sat in separate rooms, without having met or spoken to each other before. The conversation they had was conveyed through two actors sitting on stage in front of the audience. These actors had earphones connected directly to the teenagers, and repeated word for word what they were told to say.

The performance started with a slightly awkward atmosphere between the two of them talking. Both were a little nervous and unsure of where the conversation would take them. At first they stuck to simple and a little strange questions, like "What is your favorite color?", but gradually the conversation developed into something much more personal and vulnerable, with family, talk, and problems.

I think the actors were very skilled at expressing emotions and showing how the mood changed as the questions became more intimate. They also managed to convey the akward atmosphere well to the audience.

The fact that the people were talking to each other through others, without having met or spoken to each other before, made the experience both fun and calming. No one knew who was actually sitting and talking, and that is precisely why I think they dared to share such personal thoughts. The anonymity created a sense of security that opened up for more honest and intimate conversations.

The dynamics between the characters were quite different, and that's what made the show funnier and more interesting. If they had agreed on everything, I think the experience would have been far less engaging. 

What I liked best about the show was that the characters were so different. They had little in common, for example, one person loved kebabs and the other person was a vegetarian, and that meant that the play never got boring to watch. At the same time, I experienced that at times they stayed on one topic for too long, and then I lost a bit of attention along the way and couldn't quite follow the conversation.

Overall, I really enjoyed the performance. It was entertaining to see how improvisation was used, and I would definitely recommend others to experience it!