EVENT PLAY

This year, the Christmas Market once again features a magnificent play performed every event day!

AMERICAN GIFTS

The prodigal son, Jonas Järnström, returns to Turku for Christmas, bringing fresh winds and rhythms straight from America. Jonas’s return stirs up old conflicts as he begins courting his long-lost love, Matilda Naakka. The Rautamo family (formerly Järnström) on this side of the river are as outraged as the Naakka family living on the other side – even though, of course, the families have nothing in common…

The play American Gifts, performed during the 2024 Old Great Square’s Christmas, transports visitors back to 1924 Turku. It’s the era of Prohibition, where old attitudes and new ideas clash, and hemlines sway just a little shorter to the beat of rhythm music. The play also introduces historical figures from Turku, such as circus and puppet theater artist Arvo Konstantin Avenius with his Christmas performances, as well as the honorable school inspector A.W. Weckman.

The play is written by Petra Lähde and directed by drama instructor Aliisa Kallio. The duo shares a passion for history and bringing it to the stage, which in this case happens to be the city’s largest – the entire Old Great Square!

Written by: Petra Lähde
Directed by: Aliisa Kallio

Scenes:
1. To Turku for Christmas
2. The Honorable Elf
3. Summer in the Midst of Winter