Soile Mäkelä

I did not choose the masks, the masks chose me

I met theatre masks at the first time during my studies at Metropolia University of Applied Science in Helsinki in 1996 and since then they have not let me in peace. The masks helped me to get focused and to find my own personal voice in theatre. They introduced me to the great world of physical expression and they communicated with my love for visual arts and movement. The masks were my short cut to the fiction and to the other level. Masks brought into my working culture something sacred, the great respect and curiosity towards the otherness.

​

Physical theatre studies (1999–)

I followed my hunger for the masks and physical theatre and studied three years theatre following the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq.  First in Paris at the École International de Théâtre de Jacques Lecoq where I attended in experimental scenography department L.E.M. (1999-2000) and after that I did the first year theatre studies (2000-2001).

 

I was not accepted to the second year in Paris (among 70/100 other students), I cried a week and then I moved to Italy, Padova and had time of my life at Kiklos School (2001-2002) learning second year things of Lecoq-pedagogy with Giovanni Fusetti Paola Coletto and the great team.

 

Those years (1999-2002) really left mark in me and still now I feel professionally highly influenced by many things I learned then.

 

I am one of those people who believe in continuous learning, so I keep on putting me in "trouble" and in the new learning situations as often as possible. I have had chance to be student of great masters such as Philippe Gaulier, Paola Rizza, Giovanni Fusetti, Pierre Byland, Carlo Boso, Mario Gonzales, Norman Taylor, Rene Baker, Etienne Champion and Donato Sartori.

 

Professional development and the name dropping to be continued...

​

Master of Arts (2004-2008)

After returning back to Finland I did my Master of Arts studies at Academy of Theatre in Helsinki in the pedagogical department, which really helped me to organize my "toolbox" after so many years of theatre studies. 

​

Teatteri Metamorfoosi (2005–)

In 2005 I founded Teatteri Metamorfoosi with Swiss theatre director Davide Giovanzana and Finnish artist Laura Mäkelä. Teatteri Metamorfoosi is a physical theatre company, known of creative use of masks, object theatre and clownery. The company is active in three different fields; performing arts, workshops and mask making. 

 

Teatteri Metamorfoosi has been for me that professional playground that I have dreamed about. It has been the place where I have been able to research life throughout different theatrical styles and with a great group of talented people. I have been part of creative processes, sometimes as an actor, sometimes as a mask acting director, sometimes as director and dramaturg, mask maker, photographer, producer and many times I had all those roles at the same time.

 

I have been able to develop also my pedagogical skills in the company by directing the educational department and teaching regularly various physical theatre MetaWORKSHOPS and being a leader of MetaLAB -movement laboratory. In 2019, I started to develop new longer educational concept called MetaPLATFORM.

 

In addition to artistic and pedagogical voyage in Teatteri Metamorfoosi I have gained a lot of experience in the artistic project management, education planification, festival programmation and leadership of the theatre in a role of co-artistic director of the company and the MasQue -International Mask Theatre Festival, as well as executive manager and responsible of administration during 13 years.

 

Since 2018, I left administrative work and artistic leadership at the company behind me and decided to focus purely to my artistic and pedagogical work as a freelancer. Teatteri Metamorfoosi still remains my home base and I still continue as a responsible of the departments of education and mask making.

​

Let's keep on metamorphosizing!