Let the little children come to me Sallaikaa lasten tulla minun tykö

The woman lies sleepless in bed and sees her soon-to-be adult daughter sleeping
next to her. The daughter has just told her that she is pregnant, only 18 years old.
Through the woman’s vigil, she thinks back to when she herself became pregnant for
the first time, how abortion was seen as the right choice at the time, while it was
completely out of the question in her family. She thinks back to the shame of
becoming an unwed mother. What was the greatest happiness in life for her, was
perceived as a sin by those around her.
The text is about a woman’s attachment to and detachment from a northern
fundamentalist religion. Life within, the struggle for secession and the costs of
standing alone outside. The text deals with social control, faith, family ties, betrayal,
abuse, love, self-loathing, children, self-realization and women’s struggle.
Is it possible for her to move on with dignity?
Back to the daughter, she sees her standing in a different reality, but she also must
grow up overnight – and make choices that she will live with for the rest of her life.
The script in minority languages is part of the EU project “phōnē – giving minority
languages a voice”. Inger Birkelund participates in the project on behalf of
Kvääniteatteri with “Sallikaa lasten tulla minun tykö”
 
The script was read/performed at International Theater Nights in Brest, Leeuwarden and Storslett during 2024, as part of the EU project.
 
 
Opening night: 8.3.2025, at the National Theatre (Amfi stage) in Oslo.
Tour: 16.3-6.4 in Tromsø and Finnmark county, Northern Norway