Scandinavian American Theater Company at Scandinavia House; $15 ($12 ASF Members)

Written by Juha Jokela (Finland, 2006), translated by Eva Buchwald, and directed by Sebastian Nyman Agdur (Sweden). What is fundamentalism? Markus (Robert Lyons, U.S.A), a reformed minister, is approached by Heidi (Anette Norgaard, Denmark), now a religious extremist, who wants to salvage her former teacher. A spiritual battle develops through their pursuit to try to change each other. But beneath it all lurks a darker past they can't escape: a romantic and sexual encounter that has deeply affected them both. Winner of the Nordic Drama Award, The Fundamentalist is a two-character drama that offers an astute and nuanced investigation of fundamentalist believes and forces us to question our values, worldview, faith, and human responsibility.

About Juha Jokela:
Juha Jokela (b. 1970) studied directing at the Theatre Academy of Finland and began writing for television early on. Pulkkinen, a 35-episode TV-series aired 1999-2001 and won the Experts’ Choice Award Venla Award for best comedy series and the Viewers’ Choice Award. In 2003, came the shows The Renovation/Remontti and Philosophy for Sale/Firma, also winners of many awards. Jokela made his theater debut in 2003 with Mobile Horror, which garnered unprecedented critical acclaim and became one of the most successful plays in recent Finnish theater history. The play, set in a mobile phone company, was soon produced by theaters both in Finland and abroad. The Fundamentalist is Jokela’s second play. It premiered at Theatre Jurkka in 2006, under Jokela’s own direction, receiving critical and popular praise and has since been produced several times in Finland and abroad. In 2008, it was awarded the prestigious Nordic Drama Award.