Olivia Kyllönen: The Chernobyl catastrophe through the animals’ perspective and the difficulties in human relationships

What I knew about the Chernobyl accident before getting involved in this project was only surface deep. The first things that came to mind were an empty city, a ghost city, abandoned places, catastrophe, and consequences. I feel thankful to be part of this project. It feels good to be able to understand this tragic event on a deeper level and to bring attention to this subject through our characters.

Reading through the libretto for the first time gave me a lot to think about. It was exciting to read it through, but towards the end it made me feel quite sad. There are a lot of characters in the story. The libretto shines a spotlight on the environmental consequences, but it is also telling a story about the relationships and intrigues between the characters. So, we follow the story through the animals’ perspective and through the actions of the humans who are battling with their guilt over the consequences of the accident, and meanwhile Allura, Max, Lana, and Slykovitch have their own personal issues with each other.

My impression of Allura is that she is a very strong-willed and dominant person. She seems to be quite cold and harsh towards the people around her. In the first act it is revealed that Allura had a difficult childhood because her drunken father and brothers abused her. This might well explain her rude attitude towards men. As an adult the tables have turned, and she is now the one taking charge and giving commands to others.

The music seems exciting. I am looking forward to the whole musical entirety of the opera!

Olivia Kyllönen 1.5.2020
The author plays the part of Allura in the opera All the Truths We Cannot See – A Chernobyl Story.