– A DOLPHIN FROM DOT TO DOT

Can an animal be taught a human language? A performance about power, our love of animals, and the limits of language.

On July 15, 1965, one of the most bizarre experiments in scientific history begins on the U.S. Virgin Islands: a dolphin named Peter starts receiving English lessons. In order to learn a human language, the dolphin and a young woman move into a house filled with water. When the experiment ends, Peter is moved to another lab, where he is placed in a small, solitary tub. Soon, he commits suicide. 

 Pipsa Lonka’s play PETER LIVED IN A HOUSE – a dolphin from dot to dot ruminates on this absurd, true story.
At the heart of the work lies the paradox of love: a human’s love for an animal can destroy the very being it cherishes. The ultimate protagonist here is not the dolphin but language, and the power entangled in the fables of our culture. Amidst the waves of words that roll onto the stage, actors Ria Kataja, Iida Kuningas,
and Anna Airola try to retell Peter’s story. They hem and haw, refuse to say, force themselves to utter, and
say too much.

The performance shakes up the viewer’s senses and continues the award-winning collaboration between Lonka and WAUHAUS. In addition to WAUHAUS, the visual world of the work is created by designers Ville Seppänen and Riku Suvitie.

Working group

Written by: Pipsa Lonka 
Direction, design, and performance dramaturgy:
Juni Klein (WAUHAUS), Jussi Matikainen (WAUHAUS),
Ville Seppänen, Heidi Soidinsalo (WAUHAUS), Riku Suvitie 
On stage: Anna Airola, Ria Kataja, Iida Kuningas 
Choir music composition: Marianna Liik 
Choir: Tapiolan kuoro 
Text dramaturge: E.L. Karhu 
Producer (WAUHAUS): Minttu-Maria Jäävuori 
Technical producer: Lauri Lundahl 
Photos: Johan Huimerind
Teaser: Ville Seppäinen
Managing director (WAUHAUS): Julia Hovi 
Production: & Espoon teatteri, WAUHAUS 
Co-producers: Viirus, BIT Teatergarasjen 
Residency: Tero Saarinen Company residency support
Supported by: Finnish Cultural Foundation,
Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation,
Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Kone foundation