Written and directed by
Hanna Ojala

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Kajaani City Theatre 2018

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Set in 1918, in the midst of the Finnish Civil War, Red Earth White Sea follows the odyssey of Elsa Mari Matero, a young and ambitious baker from Suomussalmi. Branded in Oulu as a “Russian’s bride” and dismissed from her position at Antell, she is forced to flee. Together with her siblings, Elsa Mari escapes across the border to Viena Karelia as war and famine devastate Kainuu.
 

Elsa Mari's journey leads her through wartime field hospitals and, eventually, to an unexpected position as a café owner within the Murmansk Legion under the Royal British Army — surviving not through force, but through an unwavering refusal to turn away from others in need. Her strength lies in care, in solidarity, and in the radical act of helping others — even in the harshest of circumstances.
 

But where does loyalty lie when the Russian Civil War reaches Viena? With the British forces supporting the old order, or with the Finns fighting alongside the Bolsheviks? What becomes of family ties when allegiances divide them? Can a woman branded a Red ever return home? And what happens when a “Russian’s bride” falls in love with a Jäger?
 

The play brings to light a largely untold chapter of Finnish wartime history, seen through a woman’s perspective. It places at its centre compassion, care, and the endurance of human goodness in unbearable circumstances — the capacity to place another before oneself. Elsa Mari’s story is that of the kind of heroine our individualistic age urgently needs.
 

At the same time, the work is a gripping, plot-driven love story, rich with historical characters, regional dialects, dance, and music.

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Script Hanna Ojala based on Anneli Toijala's novels
Set Markku Hernetkoski
Costume Design Riitta Raunio
Composition and Sound Design Juho Lukinmaa
Light Design Jukka Laukkanen
Cast Veeti Hautala, Perttu Hallikainen, Ari Kelin, Joonas Kääriäinen, Maarit Peltomaa, Valtteri Pääkkönen, Sohvi Roininen, Jari Rättyä, Juha Seppänen, Heidi Syrjäkari, Hegy Tuusvuori, Esko Vatula, Vera Veiskola, Markus Virtanen
Photos Ia Samoil, Minna Hyvönen