Odd Stumble Opens THE IDEALIST Today

Born in Finland in 1883, Ivan Kivinen was a devout communist who moved to St. Petersburg after the Russian revolution. Unfortunately, Finns soon became suspect as relations between Finland and Russia deteriorated. Ivan became a victim of Stalin's paranoid purges, accused of being a Finnish spy he was executed in 1937. It wasn't until 1992 that playwright Maria Kivinen, his great-granddaughter, received a letter of rehabilitation, effectively clearing his name.

Inspired by Ivan Kivinen's life, The Idealist follows the story of Antti Penttinen. Antti is a Finnish idealist who sets off for Stalinist Russia to pursue his dreams of contributing to communism and changing the world through song. Antti is soon confronted with a society rift with distrust. He struggles with his naïve idealism in a reality which is sinking into darkness. Set in the 1930s, The Idealist is an absurdist play about dictatorship, censorship, oppression and the truth about dolphins.

Odd Stumble is a young collective of International Artists based in London. Through the use of improvisation the company produces new and experimental work with an absurd edge. The Idealist is directed by Henriëtte Rietveld and Liv Wright and stars Cristina Cugliandro, Emily Prudence and Jose Gandia. Set and costume design by Liv Wright. Lighting design by Lucy Edelstein. Music and sound by Alexia Mankovskaya.

The Idealist will be performed at the Marlborough Theatre in Brighton and at Tara Theatre in London:

4-5 May 2013 - 9:00 PM
Marlborough Theatre, 4 Princes Street, Brighton, BN2 1RD
9:00 PM
Tickets: £8/£6
Box office: 01273 91 72 72
www.brightonfringe.org

8-11 May 2013 - 7:30 PM
Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane, London, SW18 4ES
Tickets: £12/£8
Box Office: 020 8333 4457
www.tara-arts.com