Programme: Mannequin Dreams

Four individuals with acute sleeping disorders are hired by a billionaire philanthropist who claims he can cure them. However, it quickly becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

Published 31.1.2025 | Updated 31.1.2025

Developed as part of his acceptance into the 2024 Pan-Pan Theatre Mentorship Programme in Dublin under the guidance of Julian Hetzel. Mannequin Dreams is an original play by Ikenna Anyabuike which serves as an exploration of guilt, identity and the human desire to erode what makes us human. Journey with us through this surrealist piece that addresses our collective need for rest in a world defined by exploitation and burnout. Watch as a highly capable cast of actors encompass what appear to be stereotypically familiar characters, but something is brimming under the surface, something darker and more sinister. How far would you go to absolve your guilt? What does hope really mean? Are we just mannequins in an eternal shop?

All this and more is explored in this latest surreal contemporary piece.

Working group

Ikenna Anyabuike

Ikenna Anyabuike, is an actor, writer, assistant dramaturg, and musician. Trained in drama and theatre with psychological studies at University of Galway. Ikenna was awarded the ‘Baptiste Programme’ with Smock Alley in 2022, as well as the ‘Axis Assemble 2022’ with Axis Ballymun. During this period, he also collaborated with Terra Nova Productions as an assistant dramaturg during their development of what would then become ‘The Trumpet and The King’ that toured in 2023. He has also been awarded the ‘Irish Seed Grant’ by the Irish Hospice Foundation, for his multimedia-based poetry exhibition ‘I Know the Sun Must Set’ a collaboration with visual artist Maclaine Black which premiered in April 2023. In 2023 he also performed as part of an ensemble for a four-month tour of the play ‘The Kinds of Sex You Might Have in College’ with Active* Consent. Ikenna believes that art “should be a space of radical change, renewal and acceptance”. In 2024, Mr. Anyabuike was the writer of the text for acclaimed dancer Mufutau Yusuf and his piece ‘Impasse’ additionally he was selected as a writer for the ‘Dreaming Still’ book compilation presented at the Douglas Hyde Art Gallery in Dublin. Furthermore he worked internationally as an assistant director to the play ‘Läkaren’ (A Swedish translation of Robert Icke’s ‘The Doctor’). Additionally, he was a recipient of PanPan theatre’s international mentorship programme. In June of 2024, he performed original music and compositions at the urb-festivaali in Helsinki, Finland.

Performers

Inka Auvinen

Inka Auvinen (they/she) is an international dance artist and performer who is infinitely curious about the subtleties of performership. They graduated from Trinity Laban (London) with a BA in Contemporary Dance and followed on to complete the DSP-programme in Dart (Berlin). They have worked with choreographers such as Anton Lachký and Fabio Liberti, performed in Sadler’s Wells Theatre with the Dart Dance Company and enjoyed the beautiful encounters on and off stage. Inka is currently doing their MA in Dance Performance at the Theatre Academy.

Betadi Mandunga

Betadi Mandunga is a talented Finnish-Congolese actor, director, dancer, and writer. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2023 and is currently completing his Master’s studies. His professional acting career began in 2020 with a role in Zambezi, a production staged in some of Finland’s most prestigious theaters. This experience reinforced his passion for acting and deepened his understanding of the craft. That same year, he appeared in New Moon, the official trailer for the Helsinki International Film Festival.
Beyond acting, Betadi has showcased his versatility by modeling at African Fashion Week Helsinki, engaging in NGO initiatives, and expressing his artistry through poetry, rap, and music composition. These creative pursuits have enriched his stage presence, confidence, and collaborative skills. He has honed a strong stage presence, the ability to reach his audience and the ability to adapt quickly to different performance situations. Betadi is driven by the pursuit of challenging film roles where he can fully unleash his creativity. His ultimate ambition is to step behind the camera, directing and producing films that bring his artistic vision to life.

Tomi Korhonen

Tomi Korhonen is a director, playwright, actor, teacher and lover of theatre. His stage is described as a place of desolation and beauty, where existential questions are tussled with, where twisted anarchic humour runs rampant, all composed with its own sense of musicality and precise rhythm. He would describe his own work as an attempt to find the soul. He is also the co-founder of the art group Teater KvG, with whom he made their latest work Outo Valtakunta / Det sällsamma riket (2024->)

Moona Ranta

Is an actor (FIA), musical theatre BA graduate, BA musician and an MA acting student at University of Arts Helsinki/Teatterikorkeakoulu. She did her first lead in Jyväskylän Kaupunginteatteri 2006 and has been doing plays, musicals, movies and Tv-series ever since. Moona also has a background in playback theatre and has been touring Finnish jails and rehabilitation centers with Ranta Ensemble.
Her latest theatre work is Vähemmän Ihminen with Teatteri Siperia and Suomalaisen Musiikkiteatterin Klubi with MD Company. 2025 premiers a movie called ”Ella ja kaverit menevät metsään” where she has a comedic role. Mannequin dreams is her first longer work in English but she has also done audio dramas for YLE Kuunnelma with Finnish, Arabic and English. Moona Ranta strongly believes that art has the power to change the world and she is truly passionate about acting. In the future she would like to do more work on screen as well as in interesting plays, musicals and audio dramas.

Madeleine Hernandez

Madeleine is a passionate and dedicated actress based in Helsinki. She discovered the love for acting accidentally while organizing a youth exchange in Georgia back in 2017. After that, she has studied acting in the open University of The Arts, been to various workshops and graduated from Laajasalo College in May 2024 (Acting studies). Madeleine is also part of the director Jordy Valderrama’s spanish speaking theatre club ”Kulkijat”. She finds it very important to have a theatre community where she can act in her second mother tongue. Madeleine’s greatest strength as an actress is to be able to convey deep and powerful emotions on stage. Her versatility has earned her roles in TV-series, films & theatre productions in Finland and abroad. Her dream role would be to play Mirabel in the Encanto musical.

Costume Designer/Makeup Artist

Snowdrop Áine-Fae Belmont

Snowdrop Áine-Fae Belmont is a multimedia fine artist known for the innovation they bring to each medium they practice, such as performance art, installation, public art, and more. Snowdrop has worked on the costumes for films such as Fever Dream(2024) and has made short films such as Can You Feel It? They are the costume designer for the play ‘Mannequin Dreams’.