Transpoli on temppurata (“The Gender Clinic is an Obstacle Course”) is a contemporary circus performance structured as a participatory game simulating the Finnish gender identity assessment clinics. The show will run 21.10-25.10.2026 in Caisa Cultural Centre, and is available for bookings after that.
The show’s concept and direction is by me, and I also perform vertical rope and handbalancing in the show. The working group includes me, Pihla Aarnisalo, and Marjukka Mykkänen as circus artists, Pihla Lehtinen as game designer and game leader character, and Stella Massa as sound designer.
The performance has a limited number of player tickets as well as spectator tickets. Players are either assigned a character or can choose one for the game. The characters are based on real, anonymous stories about the gender clinic. Players may either progress smoothly through the obstacle course or receive time-outs or even be sent back to the start, just like at the real-life Finnish gender clinics. Those with spectator tickets watch the acts from the audience and follow the players’ progress—or setbacks—on the trans clinic obstacle course.