Mika Laulainen

SHIELDMAIDENS

First workshop performance:
Updrafts Reading Series at the rEvolver Festival
at The Cultch Greenhouse, Vancouver, BC
scheduled for May 2020 - CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

Inspired by the Birka Warrior “Bj 581” and the scientific article “female Viking warrior confirmed by genomics,” published by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Anna Kjellström, and 8 co-authors. The play follows bioarchaeologist Anna Kjellstrom’s discovery of osteological evidence that proved the bones of the Birka Warrior belonged to a human with two X chromosomes, alongside the story of the imagined Shieldmaidens (aboard a longship): speculations of what life could have been like for female Vikings in 900 AD. century. I’m creating two distinct worlds in the play: the one of this potential past where women were independent warriors, and the one we live in now where female scientists and their findings continue to be dismissed as a direct result of their gender.

Shieldmaidens is being written for an ensemble of five women or non-binary performers. In this development period, I will be examining how to create a choral, ensemble piece of large scale theatre as a playwright.
5f or nb

Raccoonnaissance

First workshop performance:
Kaleidoscope Family Theatre Festival
at the Belfry Theatre, Victoria, BC
June 2018

1f/1 any gender

Based in clown, Raccoonnaissance tells the story of a girl who, raised by raccoons, now lives her life as one. Sometimes silly, oftentimes perilous, Raccoonaissance is a physical theatre piece for all ages. As the girl uncovers more about her own mystery, the show navigates themes of identity, self-realization, and shines a light on the masks we wear. A cheeky film noir adventure set in the back alleys of an urban centre, Raccoonnaissance invites us to consider present day class issues and societal attitudes towards the trash that we create… and leave behind.

Creation & Clowning by Mika Laulainen
Direction & Creative Collaboration by Sarah Harrison
Costume Design by Shelby Wyminga