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

tonight

Third Prize at the Estonian Theatre Agency’s Drama Competition 2025
“the people here tonight are those who come after the flood
and it is coming it’s only a matter of time
the flood will come and you know it
it's inevitable the signs don't lie

tonight here and now
we have a chance to tell a new story

tonight
ladies and gentleman
we have the chance to leave a mark
write ourselves in the pages of history
this kind of offer doesn’t happen every day, does it?
writing yourself into history
leaving a mark
becoming immortal

because tonight we take control of the words
we won’t let those speak who always do
we show them the door
a big black door
please leave
please leave
you are not welcome here
get out
go back to where you came from

tonight’s the night when the chains will brake
the bars will bend
the bells will ring
the worlds will shatter
and houses burn

tonight in this hall
in this house in this theatre
we are the ones who hold the power
because the future is in our hands”

“tonight” is a monologue for three performers
it is a rallying speech to those who come after the flood
it is a political and theatrical experiment

It all starts at 19.03 when three performers step on the stage. They welcome the audience and right from the get go, announce that no normal theatre performance will take place. The lights won’t go down, no one will ask to switch off your phones. No one will perform Shakespeare or Brecht or will pretend to be someone they’re not. And not a single person in this room is older than 20 years of age.

They mean it. This note is to be taken seriously. Not a single audience member, actor, stagehand, lighting or sound technician should be over 20 years old. Those are the conditions. It is a gathering of young people in a time where the flood that Louis XIV was talking about, is already here. The world is burning. The planet is dying. Rich are eating the poor. Temperatures are rising. The war is on our doorstep. And the world is run by people who do absolutely nothing about it.

The people who have gathered here tonight are not in charge. They do not make the decisions. But are they powerless? The three performers tell stories of other young people who have taken action in the face of political and social injustice. They tell stories of protests, of Erdem Gündüz and Jan Palach. Of two 15-year old school girls from Soviet Union. And of the people here tonight. How they too can make a stand. In fact, they can do so right now in this theatre hall. Tonight.

Acts – 1
Scenes – 4
Roles – 3

Keywords
generational conflict, social injustice, voice of the youth, rebellion, monologue, direct communication with the audience, call to action, experiment, climate crisis.

Characters
Actor/Actress 1
Actor/Actress 2
Actor/Actress 3

Estonian version is available HERE