Taina Mäki-iso | Fyysinen teatteri

ABOUT

Taina Mäki-Iso (1963) MA, is a well known clown, theatre director and teacher in Finland. She has also performed as a clown in Austria, France, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Benin and Czech Republic.

Taina has worked some 40 years with professionals, students and amateurs of theatre, dance, music and circus. She has specialized in physical theatre and her main interests are mask theatre and clowning. She has studied clowning with Philippe Gaulier, Pierre Byland, Angela de Castro, Giovanni Fusetti, Norman Taylor and Ami Hattab among others. She works also as a clown doctor Tanttarulla at the children ́s hospitals.

Her clown solos Towards the Horizon (2010), haMEmo (2013/14), Viking Princess (2016), MEDEA: Clownish Rage Management (2018) and Hiding (2019) have received very positive feedback and visited also in several festivals in Finland and elsewhere. During 2015-16 haMEmo was in Touring Stage ́s repertoire of Finnish National Theatre. Clown Tapikka (from haMEmo) visited also Mimefest in Czech September 2014. haMEmo solo was seen also in Fujairah International Monodrama Festival (United Arab Emirates) on February 2016 and on October at Mujeres que Cuentan –festival of Teatro Abrego in Spain. Viking Princess had a premiere in Tábor International Street Festival 2016 in Czech and November 2016 and it was seen in Jaca Clown Festival in Spain 2017. Taina is “Dr. Zeiffal” in a Finnish version of Dr. Zeiffal, Dr. Zeigal and the Hippo That Never Be Caught written and directed by Georgia Murphy (Fabulous Bäckström Brothers production 2018).

Taina has directed c. 90 performances both for the free groups and institutional theatres. Some of her latest directions: Perästä kuuluu! (2022) A clown show about brain gut -connection for Grus Grus Theatre, Rakkaus?! IIK!KÄÄK!YÄK! – Love?!EEK!YIKES!YUCK! (2020) for Vaasa City Theatre (Tampere Theatre Festival, main programme 2021) and Nauru -totisinta totta? Laughter – truly true? (2022) for Dance theatre Rimpparemmi.

Taina is also a distinguished pedagogue and she has taught f.e. at The Theatre Academy in Helsinki, Arts Academy in Turku (Circus&Theatre), Circus School of Salpaus, Tampere University Acting Programme, Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic and L ́Ecole Internationale de Théâtre du Bénin, in Bénin, Africa.