Olivia Soans interviews the team behind Un_stus
Un_stus is an interdisciplinary performance directed by Astra Irene Susi, premiering at Südalinna Theatre on August 30th. The piece will be performed six times in total, on August 30, 31 and September 2, with performances at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm each evening. It brings together four artists from different creative fields: musician Maarja Nuut, opera singer Annabel Soode, drag performer Mikk Lahesalu and Astra Irene Susi herself. Blending theatre, music, installation and visual dramaturgy, Un_stus exists in the in-between, refusing to settle neatly into a single genre.
Astra: For me, Un_stus is about creating the ground from which something new can grow. It asks how we can shake off expectations and assumptions, and how to trust the beginning – that uncertain point where the direction is not yet clear, but we find the courage to step into it. The work explores the idea that decay can be understood not as destruction, but as preparation for renewal. From what seems like an ending, warmth and softness arise – a soil in which something new can take root. At its core, the piece is about courage: the courage to let go of expectations, step into the unknown, and trust that from silence and uncertainty, a new breath will emerge.
Maarja: I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek, but also not: the piece is about that feeling of “back-to-the-roots” – or the search for it.
Astra: In my work, I look for people I find artistically inspiring to collaborate with. I’m not searching for specific skills; rather, I am drawn to particular individuals, and this is how the group comes together. I want my pieces to offer people a platform to explore aspects of themselves they may not have discovered before. In this work, for example, Maarja and Annabel are engaged in physically demanding sequences together, while Mikk is tasked with taking their drag chimera beyond the usual drag performance context. As for myself, I am purely dancing.
Maarja: Astra messaged me on Instagram in the middle of a dark, still, and slow winter, and I thought, why not?! At first, it was just curiosity, but as we started talking about decay as opportunity, the hypothetical beginnings of processes, body memory, and so on, it began to resonate more deeply with me. And since I live in the countryside, I have to admit I’m a huge fan of humus and compost — so I’m pretty hyped that this theme has found its way into the performance.
Mikk: Me and Astra were chatting after seeing Lauri Lagle’s Leviathan last year. She told me about the performance that she’s had in her head, about the themes of looping and decay. It immediately reminded me about the carousel piece by Anne Daniela and Paul Rodgers that I saw a couple of years ago during a studio visit. I showed her the photos and it hit the jackpot, it fit the atmosphere of the central staging space in Südalinna Theatre perfectly. Jokingly, she asked if I wanted to work on this production together. A couple of days later she texted me and asked if I actually would be interested in being the producer. And now I’m also one of the performers. It’s been a wild and fun ride haha.
Annabel: I had seen Astra on stage and watched her first self-directed piece Vankumatu, and also heard her music. A few days after hearing my colleague perform her cello solo piece, I happened to see Astra in a café and went to thank her. We ended up attending the same academic lessons, and one day she asked, “Shall we do something together this summer?” And here we are.
Astra: I have learned how to hold a room – to be aware of the space we are creating together and to keep it, in a way, sacred. I’ve learned to be kind with one another and to work so that every voice is heard. This is something I reflect on often and continually try to put into practice. I have also learned to be grateful.
Mikk: Working with Astra, Maarja and Annabel for the past half a year has been really inspiring. I’m the only performer in this production without a musical background, although I did play the piano as a child, it hardly counts. It’s been fascinating to learn about their tools of expression. I have so much respect for them, their dedication to their craft and also their work ethic.
Annabel: I’ve learned, and am still learning, how communication shapes the process, and how different work tempos, compared to my usual rehearsals as an interpreter and musician affect creativity and well-being, both during the work process and outside of it.
Maarja: I feel we’re still in the middle of the process, with the most exciting week ahead. But so far I’ve met some lovely new humans, learned about dynamics, strengthened my trust in the unknown, and reminded myself not to overthink too much.
Astra: For me, the people behind the scenes are just as important as those on stage. A performance can only exist through collaboration with many different artists. For this production, we have an extraordinary instrument created by Kalle Tikas specifically for the Südalinna Theatre central staging, and a carousel built in 2004 by Anne Daniela and Paul Rodgers. My dramaturge Elo Valner always knows how to contextualize my thoughts, for which I am very grateful for. The costumes are designed by the talented Kertu Seestrand and makeup is by my frequent artistic partner, Karoliina Villem, one of the best in Estonia for special effects. Our lighting designer is Siim Reispass, and communications are handled by Olivia Soans. Mikk, besides performing, is also the producer. Without them, Un_stus wouldn’t be possible. The interior itself plays a role too: the 20th-century art deco fragments on the walls resonate perfectly with the piece thematically.
Mikk: I think Astra has a real talent for sensing people’s energies and bringing together a strong team. It’s been a joy to work with such a forward-thinking group, who are on the same page, think in very unique and creative ways, and make ideas come to life.
Astra: I have learned to trust the process much more. I don’t always have the answers, but when the people I work with trust each other, everything finds its way. There needs to be space to explore without the pressure of always taking the “right” path. If a rehearsal becomes simply a conversation about our experiences, I allow it to happen. Rather than following a fixed structure, I try to listen to what this particular performance needs.
Mikk: In drag, community is essential, and I’m lucky to have friends to bounce ideas off of, but it remains a very individual process – you work through your inner world and project it outward. Theatre, with a director and co-performers, offers direct feedback, shared exploration, and the time to truly develop ideas – a privilege I don’t usually experience with drag. I’ve performed this chimera-like creature in different contexts, from a collaborative performance at Estonian Academy of Arts to Edith Karlson’s solo exhibition “March!” in Sapieha Palace in Vilnius. Originally inspired by horses, it has grown to include elements of deer, insects, gargoyles, and other mythical creatures. For Un_stus, we created backstories for our characters, their pasts, scents, sounds – which has been deeply engaging. I’ve developed a real sense of care and protectiveness toward this creature, it feels like I’m reconnecting with a long-lost childhood friend.
Annabel: This piece, I perform alongside artists from different disciplines, which makes me curious about how to respond. It’s been beautiful to see everyone open up and for our chemistry to develop. We all begin with areas where we feel less confident, but working through them together has brought a lot of playful joy and a strong sense of the staging’s physical and atmospheric presence.
Maarja: This is actually my fourth time performing in a theatrical piece, and each experience has been completely different. There are so many ways to approach narrative… Since I’m mostly active as a solo artist performing my own music, there’s usually a lot of work around dramaturgy. In Un_stus we’re all facing new challenges, but I also feel that our roles have come to us very organically. I don’t feel like I have to do something I can’t relate to or that doesn’t come from me – and maybe that’s exactly where Astra’s talent lies: finding those new, yet somehow familiar angles :)
Un_stus is about opening a space of possibility. It invites both performers and the audience to sit with uncertainty, to see decay as fertile ground, and to recognize the courage it takes to step into the unknown. By bringing together such distinct voices and practices, the performance becomes a meeting point where difference generates connection, and where something new can take root. Experience Un_stus at Südalinna Theatre on August 30, 31 and September 2, 2025.