My learning path with NÄTY: Laura Rämä

The lecturer of acting work at the time, Hanno Eskola, emphasised how important it is for actors to get out of their comfort zone and engage in something new and strange. This was a good challenge. For me, the five-year training was indeed based on becoming familiar with the strange.

I learned that you can observe your own thoughts, emotions, prejudices and reactions as something alien and separate from yourself. I learned that all strays from the right path, smudges, mistakes and blunders on stage (or in life) are rather something special in me than a source of shame. At NÄTY, I learned that the secret of independent artistry with a voice of its own lies in solidarity and cooperation. I learned that the work can be thought of as continuous rehearsing, a contest with yourself and others. I learned that “new” or “alien” are not something to be feared, but an opportunity that can open up new worlds.

In other words, studying, for me, translated into a very comprehensive exercise of getting to know myself, which was (and still is) a process involving both pain and pleasure. This familiarisation with oneself was, when studying in an environment such as NÄTY, both a privilege and a necessity, in terms of the acting profession. I learned that an actor is a creature of society as much as the rest of us are. An actor’s art gives them the opportunity to observe and be amazed by this existence of ours. Therefore, everything I choose to carry with me and set on the stage – words, talk, gestures, acts – have an impact on the surrounding reality, whether I want them to or not. This is why it’s important to analyse what I represent and which issues and values – such as gender equality – I support with my perception of the world when I’m on stage. The stage is a setting for negotiations on the ethics and morality of life. I believe that actors working as both freelancers and in institutions can carry this responsibility in their various work assignments. At NÄTY I learned that you must be brave and active in introducing topics of discussion.

The key word for me was the sustained nature of the studies. The continuous studies, such as the Alexander technique or tai chi/conscious movement seminars, which continued throughout my five years of studies, were ideal tools for improving self-knowledge and hearing your own voice. A person changes a lot over a period of five years, due to which it is extremely important that the educational institute guarantees time for stopping and listening. NÄTY’s small size furthermore contributed to having time to concentrate on collaboration with teachers and other students. When a teacher has the time to pause by the questions of a student, the operating model is passed on and will be visible in the actor’s professional life as commitment, the contribution of time and the courage to pursue the not-so obvious paths into your own work. I still remember how a guest lecturer, after watching our class rehearse for a while, remarked that the teaching at NÄTY doesn’t only focus on what theatre already is but, first and foremost, encourages the students to seek out what it could be.

In our acting classes, we often rehearsed clown versions of the synopses of classic plays. Even on the level of mere images, clowning gave way to an uncensored approach among us and dropped away unnecessarily serious performance-orientation. The results were more interesting. I found this interesting, completed some additional courses on clowning in the summer, and finally formed it into a tool that dissects my acting work (the wondering, approving and spontaneous clown state of mind). Following my graduation, I have worked as an actor in the city theatres of Rovaniemi and Joensuu, in freelance groups from the Sami native region to Helsinki and Berlin, in solo and ensemble performances, of which the most notable one was the P*lluralli performance event, and as a hospital clown across Finland. At the moment, I am enjoying the security provided by a three-year grant, still focusing on all that theatre could be.

Laura Rämä
Class of 2006–2011

Learn more about NÄTY and teaching in theatre arts at Tampere University