2015 Edinburgh Fringe

More details

Vatanen (David McKay) is middle-agen, middle-class and works 12-hour days in his office cubicle the highlights of his life long passed. However, a chance encounter with an eccentric Hare (Kim Allan) re-awakens his lust for life and suddenly Vatanen finds himself - along with his new-found travelling companion - on an epic and surreal road trip through a world with rules and values he can no longer accept or understand. During the companions' journey the lines between reality, dreams and insanity begin to become blurred. But even this does not deter our industrious pair! The quest to find some kind of meaning in life and existence has begun!

Warning! Serious mayhem is unavoidable, so strap on your bunny ears and kiss reality goodbye, beacause it's gonna be a wild ride. However, there's no need to panic if you have lost your bunny ears. We can promise you will find them by end of the show...

The Year of The Hare - A Human comedy, is an anarchic and riotous but ultimately touching comedy about human beings and other animals living together in a rapidly changing world with more and more problems but seemingly fewer and fewer solutions.

Arto Paasilinna is a Finnish writer and best know for his 1975 novel The Year of The Hare (Jäniksen vuosi); a best-seller in France and Finland, translated into 18 languages, awarded three international prizes, and adapted twice into feature films. It was included in 1994 in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works which funded the 1995 English translation by Hermes Lomas.

Cast & Crew

Cast: David McKay, Kim Allan, Martin Docherty and Sarah McCardie.

Written by Esa Leskinen, Sami Keski-Vähälä and Kristian Smeds. Adapted by Catherine Grosvenor from the English translation by Nely Keinänen.

Directed by Aleksis Meaney.

Producer: Hanna Roisko / The Ryhmäteatteri.

Musical director: Sarah McCardie.

Sound designer: Jussi Kärkkäinen.

Costume and Set designer: Janne Siltavuori.

Video designers: Ville Vierikko and Ville Salmisalo.

Photographer: Alan McCredie.

Graphic designer: Ville Salmisalo.