Tuula Väänänen, an actress from Oulu, was awarded for her role in the performance En paässyt Juliaksi.
– Of course it feels great. This work is done as long as the spirit is high and the enthusiasm is enough, so this kind of reward is encouraging.
Väänänen was awarded for his role in the *I didn’t make Julia* performance. Mixing fact and fiction, the show deals with acting, the life cycle and finding a connection.
Väänänen describes the project as different from what has ever been done in Oulu theater and different from what he himself has ever done. According to Väänänen, he was exposed in a different way and closer to the audience.
– There were many scary places and I thought that I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t be able to. It was special and challenging, even difficult.
The first half was more traditional theater, the second was clowning. According to Väänänen, there can be many kinds of clownery, but the clownery of the characters in that show, Tomu and Allan, could be defined as follows:
– Klovneri is an anarchist who detaches himself from the world of propriety, presents it as a laughing stock and speaks cleanly. We combined social humor with the characters through speech, which is not quite so typical, Väänänen explains.
According to Väänänen, the difference of the show may be the reason why the award came.
The award makes me happy, but the highlights can be found elsewhere
Väänänen says that he is happy about the award, but would not necessarily place it among the highlights of his career.
– For me, the highlights of my career are when things go well on stage and I get in touch with the audience. Those things related to everyday shows.
Among the highlights, Väänänen lists the performance *Pesärikko*, Oulu theater’s performances *Beauty of the Mountains*, *The shoemaker’s children have no legs* and *Niskavuoren’s Heta*. The *I never got to be Julia* performance, for which the award clicked for the role, also reaches the highlights.
Even there are only a few of the examples listed by Väänänen. All of these are united by a role that has managed to do honor to the protagonist.
– It’s the most important thing for an actor, not only to play a person, but also to be that person. It requires being humble and interested in that person, whether they are good or bad.
The theater actor of the year award has been given since 2010. The award is a colleague award of the Actors’ Association, the recipient of which is chosen by the members of the Actors’ Association.
Väänänen says that he will celebrate the award by going to southern Finland to see theater performances, because theater is both work and a beloved hobby for him.
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