Oskar Silén

Oskar Silén is an international, multi-skilled music, theatre and media worker. Educated in Japan, the Netherlands, the UK (ARTTS Int.), and the Finnish Theatre Academy (Master of Arts in acting '97), he has achieved extensive professional stage experience as an actor (28+ productions, 800+ performances 1997-2007) and director of theatre and TV items and short films. Oskar has also spent time in Shanghai (where he worked as a cameraman and video editor) and London (concentrating on music, recording and gigging), but is now making theatre in Finland again. He is studying teaching part-time.

Coming up this autumn (2010):

Stjärnornas sång ('The song of the stars'), a touring production for pre-schoolers, premieres 10th September in Helsinki: duties include acting, music production and arrangement, poster and sales.
Producing sound and music for the Taimine Theatre's newest touring production for elementary schools Leka skogen, premiering 29th September, directed by Paul Olin and written by Malin Kivelä.
Acting in and writing for the next Teater Mars drama production Faster Else's liv - och andra historier, directed by Joakim Groth, premiering 11th October at Universum.
Starting a 1.5yr teaching course.

Spring 2010:

Acted in the Kinoproduction TV film En kväll på krogen, directed by Joakim Groth.
Worked as a cameraman on the artist portrait of veteran actor Fred Negendanck for the FST/Finnish Broadcasting Company.
Worked 4 months as a teaching assistant at Sysmän Yhteiskoulu (Sysmä jr high school and high school) assisting with English, Swedish and drama education.
...and rehearsed, made music and the poster for, and sold Stjärnornas sång ('The song of the stars') (see above).

Spring/summer 2009:

Worked on Lettie's 3rd album with Mike Mason in Oxford, providing guitars, bass, autoharp and other instruments.
Recorded and mixed Emil Brynge's 4th E.P.
Live performances with Lettie, Erin Lang & the Foundlings (with Roger O'Donnell (ex-The Cure) on keyboards), and Emil Brynge.

Summer/autumn 2008 in London:

Recorded guitars, bass and sitar for Anne Nikitin's scores for Channel 5/National Geographic's Banged Up Abroad, National Geographic's Journey To The End Of The Universe, and two BBC documentaries.
Performed 30 gigs with various artists and bands June - November 2008
Short film The Engineers (see below) is shown at the Helsinki International Film Festival (Rakkautta ja Anarkiaa)

April 2008 in Helsinki:

Oskar directs a 7min radio drama piece for Finnish Broadcasting Co. and conducts a Masterclass on directing actors for media students at the Arcada Institute in Helsinki.

Winter 2008 in Shanghai:

Shoots and edits for Pain In The Reel Productions: one 7min TVitem for Finnish Broadcasting Corp. about driving schools and the increasing pollution in Shanghai, a corporate recruitment video for Wagas Cafés in China and an aborted 45min documentary project.

Autumn 2007 - Oskar directs two plays for family audiences :

Nils Karlsson-Pyssling, a classic short story by Astrid Lindgren, now in music theatre format, at the 300-seater Turku Swedish Theatre. Premiered 5.1.2008. Read a review (in swedish)
"Oskar Silén has drilled the boys to an exact and disciplined performance that they execute with concentration and stage presence. ... [Stage designer] Ahlqvist and Silén serve up a good amount of clever solutions." Bror Rönnholm ÅU 8.1.2008
Den förträfflige herr Glad (The Distinguished Mr. Glad), a touring play for kindergartens for the Taimine Theatre, in co-operation with the Helsinki Swedish Theatre. Premiered 19.9.07. Read a review (in swedish)

"DISTINGUISHED, CLEVER THEATRE.

A story and a performance that fascinates with its simple yet multi-faceted text filled with thoughts and wisdom and sensitive directing work that takes this all this into consideration... ... The melancholy, loneliness, feelings and friendship is expressed in a sensitive, beatiful, poetic and thought-provoking way." Elisabeth Nordgren, Hufvudstadsbladet 19.9.2007

November 2007

The short film The Engineers recieves an Honourable Mention at the Kettupäivät film festival in Helsinki, and is aired on Finnish TV the same week as part of the Råfilm (Raw film) short film series.

"Form-wise a very simple but unbeatably clever 5 minute piece that is definately one of the highlights of this years Råfilm series." Krister Uggeldahl, Hufvudstadsbladet :

General CV

Svenskspråkig CV

oskar(dot)silen(at)gmail.com : +358 44 532 7306