Oliver Issak

... is a dramaturg and freelance artist whose work in social design and performance art challenges traditional boundaries and activates public spaces through immersive, participatory experiences.

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Plays

tonight (2025)
Bogged down (2025)

Actions / Installations

Two-Room Conference

Texts

Bogged down

First Prize at the Estonian Theatre Agency’s Drama Competition 2025
Vaarpuu:
I mean it’s weird that we’re being taught how to shoot and dig trenches and change socks and take cover under mortar fire but dealing with stuff like that… well i mean, you know… no one says a word about that. And even when Popov… we were basically told nothing, they just said something happened and move on. But how do you move on, how do you even begin to think of it…no one teaches that. It’s no fucking wonder that Capten…

Üprus:
Yeah Capten got really hit by that one, he’s like… well like you said, in a fog, stuck in some kind of bog after all that happened. I mean in a sense he was responsible for Popov wasn’t he, he was his guy.

Vaarpuu:
I can apply a tourniquet to a wounded soldier, i can give first aid but how to help a struggling comrade, how to help Captain… I don’t know. And what we… I mean with Popov what we could have… fuck I don’t know.

(suddenly we can hear growling. Boys turn around and see a Wolf with Fiery Eyes right behind them, on the other side of the vehicle. They stand still for a few seconds, then Vaarpuu grabs his gun and shoots at the Wolf)

Vaarpuu:
Bloody wolf! Holy fuck!

(others peek out of the hole)

Ilves:
What the fuck’s going on, did the war start?

Üprus:
You’ll never fucking believe, there was a wolf!

Ilves:
What?

Captain (climbs on top of the vehicle):
What do you mean wolf?

Five young men in military service find themselves knee deep in mud after driving off trail during a military practice exercise. It’s night, they’re in the middle of nowhere and with no help being nearby, they decide to wait until morning before digging out the armoured vehicle. However, when the sun rises, they discover themselves on a tiny bog island, completely surrounded by water and with no idea how to get off it.

Most of the play takes place on a roof of the vehicle where soldiers, all 18-19 year old boys, take turns keeping watch. Tensions rise as time passes, their sergeant keeps losing his temper and fights break out. But at times, the weird accident offers a moment of calm – a possibility to reflect and deal with the trauma, grief and emotions that the military environment has suppressed.

The play offers an honest commentary about the mental health struggles of young men, especially in military service. The fears of an upcoming war in the Baltic region adds a sense of danger and urgency that make the whole scenario feel like a calm before the storm. The dialogue stays true to the harshness of military slang, being full of profanities and swear words. The language is definitely one of the most striking features of the play.

It is also worth noting that the ending scene describes only one possible outcome and the author recommends using forum theatre method to ask the audience how they would solve the conflict and then play out different scenarios...

Acts – 1
Scenes – 9
Roles – 5

Keywords:
military service, power dynamics, mental health, self reflection, grief, trauma, military slang, stuck in the woods.

Characters:

Captain, Young sergeant, squad leader
Vaarpuu, Corporal, squad leader’s assistant, navigator
Üprus, Soldier, armored vehicle driver
Ilves, Soldier
Toome, Soldier

Estonian version is available HERE