Finnish theatre tells the story of humankind

In a breathtaking feat of dramatic construction, a group of Helsinki-based theatre-makers condenses hundreds of thousands of years of human history into just 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The 500-page Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, now appears as a play, Sapiens, on the Finnish National Theatre’s Main Stage.

Homo narrans, the storytelling human and ultimate survivor, represents a threat to the existence of itself and others because of the species’ hyperbolic desire for control. As it turns out, the immense verbal dexterity that once allowed Sapiens to survive now threatens the very future of our planet.

Theatre Info Finland speaks to director Anni Klein to find out what the play is all about.