A hundred locals take the main stage of the Oulu Theatre next week. The performance season for 100% Oulu lasts for just one week, from August 14 to 22.
Next week, Oulu gains a unique mirror to look into. A hundred ordinary residents step onto the main stage of Oulun teatteri, forming a miniature representation of the city’s entire population.
Directors Helgard Haug and Daniel Wetzel describe the 100% City concept as a human mirror of the city – one that shows their hometown from multiple perspectives instead of a single image.
“This performance encourages us to look a little closer at the people with whom we share our hometown. Who are my neighbors and the people I pass randomly on the street? What have they experienced, and what are their feelings, hopes, joys, and concerns?”
A simple yet ambitious idea fuels the documentary theater piece 100% Oulu: The production brings a hundred people onto the stage, matching the city’s demographic structure as accurately as possible. Each performer represents one percent of Oulu’s population.
Oulu stands out among global cities
More than 40 cities across the globe have hosted the 100% City concept. The series’ previous locations include Berlin, Tokyo, São Paulo, Melbourne, and San Diego, among others. Oulu has already left its mark on the directors.
“No one has ever invited us this far north. Nor have we ever visited a city where water, wind, and trees hold such a strong presence,” Haug says.
The directors describe Oulu as an intriguing city of contrasts. It has a relatively small population, yet covers a large geographical area. At the same time, it actively pursues growth and change.
The city sparked so much curiosity in the creators that they could imagine returning to stage the performance again in the middle of winter.
“Life during the dark months surely differs greatly from what we experience here now in August.”
Stories of war connect generations
During the rehearsal process, the personal life stories of the participants have particularly impressed the directors. The impact of war on people’s lives recurs in several of the stories, even though the experiences stem from different eras.
One performer spent early childhood as a war child in Sweden and learned Finnish only later after returning to Finland. Standing on the same stage are people who moved to Oulu from Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression.
“We find it striking how much wars – and the fear of future war – shape collective memory through individual experiences,” Haug says.
According to the directors, the performance reveals societal layers that people rarely notice in daily life through encounters like these. They hope that audience members leave the theater feeling a bit more curious than when they entered.
“Who are my neighbors and the people I pass on the street? What have they experienced, what do they hope for, and what worries them? What do we share, and what makes us different?”
100% Oulu
- On the Main Stage of Oulun teatteri
- Premiere: August 14, 2026
- Part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture program
- Rests on Rimini Protokoll’s internationally acclaimed 100% City concept, which over 40 cities around the world have staged.
Read more about the production and purchase tickets here: https://oulunteatteri.fi/en/play/100-oulu/
