Hungerburg2024

This is an omniperformance. Or a festival. Or both. 

It is neither a theatre, a music, nor an art festival. Rather, it is all of them combined. Or is it the experience that matters most? Everyone can choose what to take part in, every experience is different. Just lika a spa where you can customize your own treatment package. Every day we have the same programme, with variations, but there is too much to experience in a single day and evening. You will have to make a choice. You will have to customize your own treatment package.

theatre |

backtothebeach

on the beach and in the sea of Narva-Jõesuu | 12 performances

On Stage Grete Jürgenson, Henessi Schmidt, Doris Tislar (Noorsooteater), Sylvia Köster, Karl Robert Saaremäe (Must Kast), Sander Rebane (Endla), Kaarel Pogga (Vanemuine), Nils Mattias Steinberg (Endla)
Director and Scenographer Joel Väli
Dramaturg Andreas Kübar
Movement Dramaturg Sylvia Köster
Musical Designer Markus Robam
Producer Marie Valgre
Special thank you to Laboratorios BABÉ Estonia

The production is based on the work of British documentary photographer Martin Parr, capturing decades worth of beaches, sandy feelings, and recurring motifs.

club paradise

at the Mereranna Sanatorium disco club Paradise | 12 performances

On Stage Maarja Johanna Mägi, Johannes Sepping (Rakvere Teater), Kirill Havanski, Juhan Soon, Getriin Kotsar
Author and Director Andreas Aadel
Scenographer Kairi Mändla
Sound Designer Kirill Havanski
Producer and Make-up Artist Kersti Niglas
Special thank you to test audience and volunteers

An experiential study of darkness in the form of a party. "club paradise" offers an opportunity to seek, perceive, and understand oneself in a space where a party is happening—but nobody can see it.

Kahheldraal

in the sea-view pool of the Mereranna Sanatorium | 11 performances

Author, Director and Scenographer Renate Keerd
On Stage Liisi Hint, Kirte Jõesaar, Rea Lest või Grete Jürgenson, Luisa Lõhmus, Karmel Mäesalu, Anumai Raska, Kreete Tarmo
Lighting Designers Kärt Karro, Renate Keerd
Musical Designers Renate Keerd
Piano Arrangement Luisa Lõhmus
Technical Support by Epp Peedumäe, Heikki Mändmets
Producer Marie Valgre

A production in the empty swimming pool of the Mereranna Sanatorium in Narva-Jõesuu.

1:1

in the 4th-floor rooms of the Mereranna Sanatorium accommodation wing | 47 performances

In the rooms were Riina Maidre, Astra Irene Susi, Anna Birgitta Põder, Maarja Jakobson, Kristin Prits, Alice Siil, Lauren Grinberg, Alissija-Elisabet Jevtukova, Johanna Vaiksoo, Liisa Linhein, Henry Griin, Sebastian Talmar, Ivar Põllu
Director Ivar Põllu and the ensemble
Scenographer Kristiina Põllu and the ensemble
Producer Maarja Mänd
Special thank you to the test audience

An intimate one-on-one encounter between a single audience member and one performer at a time.

Land-marks

Promenade performance on the Narva River, starting at the Narva-Jõesuu pier and ending in Narva | 12 performances

Performers Maria Listra, Rasmus Kull (Vanemuine)
Author and director Ivar Põllu
Scenographer Kristiina Põllu
Audio-technical solutions by Hannes Einpaul
Producer Maarja Mänd
Special thank you to the crew of the riverboat Caroline, Katri Raik

A philosophical boat tour on the Narva River along the border, exploring contradictions, removed and restored monuments, and featuring music by Wagner—and more.

Mann und Licht

in the 2nd-floor rooms of the Mereranna Sanatorium accommodation wing | 237 performances

Voice actors Ilo-Ann Saarepera, Helgur Rosenthal, Ringo Ramul
Author, director and scenographer Rene Liivamägi
Composer and musical designer Lauri Lüdimois (Ugala)
Video designer Siimar Kivisild
Technical solutions by Neeme Jõe (Tallinna Linnateater)

Immersive audio drama in 13 rooms.

The Ghost Tour of Hungerburg

In the urban space of Narva-Jõesuu | 13 staged architectural tours

Guide Martin Kork
Director Ivar Põllu
Scenographer Kristiina Põllu
Producer Maarja Mänd
Special thank you to Narva-Jõesuu property owners

The tour leads into the living bodies of past resorts through their remaining buildings.

tours |

Spacetime

QR audio tour in the urban space of Narva-Jõesuu | available on-demand for an unlimited number of times

Voice actors Ilo-Ann Saarepera, Maarja Jakobson, Helgur Rosenthal, Peeter Rästas
Author and director Jaanus Kaasik

The audio production happens somewhere in space where time and place do not apply. You are guided through space and memories. Through familiar and unfamiliar locations. Upon your return, you have brought back memories of something that never was.
Elsewhere.

For Fading Spaces, for Artists

QR audio tour in the urban space of Narva-Jõesuu | available on-demand for an unlimited number of times

Artists Fumantum, Endamisi Salamisi, Kenn-Eerik, S2L, Dog in a Shirt
Director Kirill Havanski
Dramaturg Roos Lisette Parmas
Voice and Interviewer Maarja Johanna Mägi

A chronicle of a fading space and its artists,
Narva-Jõesuu

You are rummaging through old boxes, dusty books, forgotten belongings in your great-grandfather’s attic, through his old photographs—you have never seen him like this; so young, so different. Through his old letters written to your great-grandmother, the yellowish paper crumbling between your fingers. Beneath the letters, you find old records that mean nothing to you, by artists completely unknown to you.

Out of curiosity, you put one on. The first notes play, drawing you in. The melody feels familiar, as if you’ve heard it before, but never truly listened. Does anyone still listen to this music? Does anyone still remember these people?

And you think to yourself—once, people did. And all the people alive right now, commuting home from work, are listening to entirely different music every single day. Music that perhaps in three hundred years no one will listen to, no one will know. When all the people living today are gone. When you are gone, your things are gone, and the places where you once walked are no longer the same—and someone else lives in your home, or no one lives there at all, or your house isn't even standing anymore. Or perhaps a lone scavenger is walking through your attic, putting on your favorite record, and listening to it.

Roos Lisette Parmas and Kirill Havanski invite you on a journey to places and moments we see, places we no longer see, and places we cannot see yet. They commissioned five artists to compose musical pieces for specific locations in Narva-Jõesuu. Together with these original tracks, the listener is taken on a journey through Narva-Jõesuu, where the sonic landscape and the actual landscape blur into one, forming a dreamlike pathway from the present to the past, and from the past to the future.

My Narva-Jõesuus

QR audio tour in the urban space of Narva-Jõesuu | available on-demand for an unlimited number of times

Author Janek Murd
Interviewer, editor, composer and musical designer Janek Murd
Interviews with Elga Lepajõe ja Lembit Veeberiga by Madis Tuuder
Special thank you to Allan Kaldoja, Herki Talen, Jaan Toomik, Jaanus Värav, Leslie Laasner, Marek Murd and Olli Toomik

A 14-part excursion through personal and previously unheard stories—a perspective on Narva-Jõesuu through multiple pairs of eyes and across several decades. The events and actions begin in 1984, when the author, Janek, moves to Narva-Jõesuu with his family. The stories briefly venture back into the 1960s and eventually reach the mid-1990s, capturing both the events of the Soviet regime and the early years of the newly reborn republic.

It has everything. It is a movie without a picture. It is life itself, which in its documentary nature can be far grander than any scripted film.

"While making this series, I haven't laughed and cried so much in a long time. All at once. These are lives that have touched me, and I hope they will touch you too. These stories are unique, yet in their universality, they can speak to us all. My gratitude goes to everyone who so generously shared their stories and memories!" — Janek Murd

The QR tour episode "Sanatorium" features audio clips from the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) sound archives.

Here Tuglas Pondered "Little Illimar" and Beyond

QR audio tour in the urban space of Narva-Jõesuu | available on-demand for an unlimited number of times

Author Maarja Mänd
Interviewe and interviewee Maarja Mänd
Special thank you to Jaanus Kaasik

The sea and pines, the resort houses and summer villas of Narva-Jõesuu have bound themselves to the lives and works of countless Estonian cultural figures. So countless, in fact, that it is impossible to take two steps in this town without running into the ghost of a historical titan or a memorial plaque.

This audio production takes you on a journey through the town to places that have touched and been touched by writers, artists, musicians, and beyond. This is where Pinna loved to parade around stark naked, much to the horror of the locals. Here, Tammsaare hid from his admirers—and from his own wife. Here, Eller found inspiration in the roar of the sea and the rustle of the pines. This is where the Theatre Union's very first holiday home stood, for exactly one year, before the war destroyed it. Here, Vilde restored his physical health and accidentally misplaced his spiritual well-being. And "Here, in the summer of 1937, Fr. Tuglas pondered “Little Illimar”". At least, that’s what it says on the plaque at the end of Vaikne Street.

Jne.

Forest Walk Mixtape

A curated soundtrack for exploring the woodlands of Narva-Jõesuu | freestyle

Curator dj Torx 30

Virve Orav, a researcher of Narva-Jõesuu and the town’s first honorary citizen, used to say that during the resort's golden age, there were hired forest-path sweepers. For vacationers to enjoy their “philosophical walks,” the trails had to be cleared of pine needles. We aren't offering that kind of luxury this time around—let’s call it keeping things authentic. Life today is already manicured and curated to a fault; people crave a bit of messiness (entropy, some might say). Sometimes—mostly, even—just heading into the woods is enough to clear your head. The physical memory of Estonians as an ancient forest nation?

The Forest Walk Mixtape serves as a reminder that amidst the box houses and constant connectivity, we still have a boundless space where nothing needs to be swept (or does it, some might say) and no one needs to be spoken to. You don’t even have to think if you don't feel like it. Just keep walking—it’s pretty hard to get lost in these woods anyway. Unplug your thoughts, plug in the playlist. And just keep walking.

Beach Jog Mixtape

A curated soundtrack for exploring the shores of Narva-Jõesuu | freestyle

Curator dj Torx 30

Why do we vacation at all? If we strip away all the idealistic slogans and break it down to a purely biological level, rest is a charge—recharging the body's battery to get back to work. Be it physical or mental, salaried or passion-driven. In today's world, this resting takes various forms, some more active than others. One option is—why not—jogging, and it could take place—why not—on Estonia's longest sandy beach, for instance. Run entirely at your own pace (one person's jog is another's sprint). On sand, it’s probably bound to be a bit more challenging anyway.

The Beach Jog Mixtape creates an opportunity to choose your direction and offers a "way"—in the melodic sense of the word. No one dictates where you start or finish, but where you begin and where you head might just determine your playlist.

film |

Documentary Showcase

At the Mereranna Sanatorium cinema | 12 screenings

Hungerburg: People

25min / in Russian, with Estonian subtitles

Director Maria Reinup
Assistant Director Ivan Pavljutskov
Cinematographers Ivar Taim and Nikolai Lomaško
Line Producer Maria Reinup
Producer Erik Norkroos
Editor Johanna Maria Vilgats
Location sound by Antti Mäss ja Dmitry Natalevich
Sound desinger Kauri Lemberg
Colorist Alis Mäesalu
Award to Maria Reinup — Kaljo Kiisk's Young Filmmaker Stipend

The documentary captures fragments of the locals of Narva‑Jõesuu. Thirty-something Vovan is a graffiti artist and political activist. Middle-aged Ivan and Tatjana are entrepreneurs whose lives revolve around fishing. Active retiree Sasha is constantly surrounded by music and attention, having always been at the heart of local life as a DJ. These characters bring us both the unique mindset of the eastern borderlands natives and a human longing for peace and well-being we all share.

Kaie

23min / in Estonian

Director Janek Murd
Supported by Viru Film Fund

A short documentary about Kaie Murd, the director's mother, who at the time of filming marked 40 years of living in Narva-Jõesuu.

After-Spa Night Cinema: Man at Rest

At the Mereranna Sanatorium courtyard | exclusive one-night screening

25min / in Estonian

Director Madis Ligema

A musical collage exploring the motif of vacationing in Estonian cinema and the sheer possibility of life during summer. Given that this film (about resting) was created during the director's own vacation, it answers a definitive question: how has man rested on screen, and how does man actually rest today?

Eat Me All

Boonustrack 8min / in Estonian

Producers Zabanski Kino, Davai Laama, Taiga Film

Narva-Jõesuu’s local legend, chef Indrek Kõverik in action.

After-Spa Experimental Cinema: Black-and-White Dreams

On the wall of the Mereranna Sanatorium accommodation wing | exclusive one-night screening

Visuals by Ivar Põllu, Henry Griin
Music by Modulshtein
Partner Elektriteater

What do we consider a vacation? Mostly new experiences. New places, new people, new flavors, new views. Or if not new, at least beautiful. Beautiful places, beautiful people, beautiful views. Or if not beautiful, then unique. Unique places, unique people, unique flavors, unique views.

We think of a vacation as a collection of it all, as if we couldn't experience anything when not on vacation. Thus, vacationing often turns into a hunt for experiences, leaving barely any time to actually experience and enjoy them. At best, you manage to utter an "ooh" and take a photo or video to look at later.

What I actually did is something to find out later, when I start looking at those photos and videos. They are like dreams. Was I really there? It’s as if I’ve been there, but the place was much more beautiful. There are hardly any memories, only the dreams we caught ourselves.

This is what makes up the collage-like film experiment projected onto the wall of the sanatorium's accommodation wing. Only once, only in Narva-Jõesuu, with a live soundtrack.

exhibitions, installations, workshops |

Installation: Hungermusik

in the kitchen of the Mereranna Sanatorium dining hall | six days

Artist Lauri Lest
Supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Authors' Society

The installation was created in the sanatorium's abandoned kitchen using the appliances left behind. One could even say it is a concert for the former Mereranna Sanatorium's kitchen machinery.

Lauri Lest is a musician, sound and performance artist. Tema kui kunstniku peamisteks töövahenditeks on leidesemed, vibratsioonikõlarid ning heli- ja videotöötlustarkvara. As an artist, his primary tools are found objects, vibration speakers, and audio/video editing software. Lauri’s work is characterized by melancholy, an atmospheric or state-oriented quality, experimentation, and often a touch of humor. In 2023, he graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a degree in sculpture and installation. As a musician, he creates and performs atmospheric electronic music and has released two studio albums.

#Photo exhibition: Between Meals

in the dining hall of the Merepargi Sanatorium | six days

Photos by Liis Ring

The photo exhibition of the dormant Mereranna Sanatorium creates an environment for a concert that takes place once a day.

Liis Ring is a musician, sound artist, and photographer who divides her time between South-East Estonia and the west coast of Sweden. Her work is site-specific, focusing on themes such as a sense of home, belonging, and language.

Her photographic works rely on various analog techniques, where a key role is played by the dialogue between material and motif, the present and the past.

Exhibition-installation: Unknown Soviet Surrealists

on the 3rd floor of the Merepargi Sanatorium | six days

Artwork and design by Kristiina Põllu, Ivar Põllu
Supported by The Kristi- and Siim Kallas Foundation

The Mereranna Sanatorium is one of the greatest examples of a Soviet-era holiday home. A place to take off your uniform and feel human—if you knew how. But escape was also possible for those who weren't allowed through its doors.

One of the strangest forms of escapism is art. It is supposed to ennoble suffering and make life tolerable, no matter where. In this sense, one of the most effective and then again ambigous forms of escape is undoubtedly Soviet surrealism. Escaping from a surreal Soviet reality into a self-created surrealism? But then again, are we any wiser today?

Not many works of Soviet surrealism have survived. Many were never created in the first place, as artists often became dissidents and could die young and unexpectedly. Take our own Ülo Sooster, for example, who gained recognition in Moscow rather than Tartu or Tallinn, and died suddenly before his work could truly mature. What was left uncreated by Sooster and many others whose names we don't even know? This exhibition was generated using AI art programs, taking Soviet architecture and the surviving legacy of Ülo Sooster and others as its starting point.

Photo exhibition: Between Two Summers 2.0

in the Merepargi Sanatorium dining hall service rooms | six days

Photos by Priit Loog
Curated by Kristiina Põllu, Ivar Põllu

Priit Loog lives in the summer capital, Pärnu, and works as an actor at the Endla Theatre. His passion is street photography. Most of the year in Pärnu, there are few people to be seen on the streets—locals don't go out much, and the tourist season is short. As a street photographer trapped between two seasons, Priit is forced to shoot empty resort landscapes instead. And he does it beautifully.

"Between Two Summers 2.0" is an evolution of Priit's exhibition "Between Two Summers," which originally took place at the Pärnu Artists' House. For the Hungerburg exhibition, a new selection of photos and new prints were made to fit the new location.

Workshops

in the Merepargi Sanatorium gallery | 14 workshops

Instructors musician Reigo Ahven, artist Tatjana Sonina, food artist Ann Ideon

Over the years, the sea and pines of Narva-Jõesuu have inspired countless artists, musicians, writers, and others. For instance, right here you can find the so-called "Shishkin pine," which Ivan Shishkin loved to paint under and which features in several of his most famous paintings in the permanent exhibition of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Or the various other pines that inspired Heino Eller to compose his violin piece Pines (Männid) along with many other works—earning him the title of "pioneer of pine music" among local historians. Legends even say that Tchaikovsky composed his 6th Symphony in the pavilion at the end of Mere Boulevard...

Now it’s your turn to let the forest and sea of Narva-Jõesuu inspire your own creativity. Our studio has been set up in the gallery spanning across Hahn Street, with one side opening out to the Narva-Jõesuu sea and the other to the Kurhaus Park. Create music, create landscapes, or create flavors—made possible by the specialized callings of our instructors.

As part of Hungerburg2024, painting, drumming, and cooking workshops took place.

concerts and parties |

The Hungerburg Orchestra: Ouu

in the Merepargi Sanatorium cinema | 12 concerts

Ouu is Jaan Sinka, Tiit Liblik, Hyrr Innokent Vainola, Rihard Niinberg

No matter what happens, the band does its job. The Hungerburg Orchestra—otherwise known as the band Ouu—invites you into the Sanatorium cinema to listen to their music. If you feel like it, you can even dance. If dancing is even allowed here? The movie barely finished; the projector hasn't even stopped buzzing yet. Are those technicians over there still rolling up the screen?

In any case, come what may, when we're up, the Hungerburg Orchestra plays for the dance. And even if nobody shows up, we’ll still do our job well!

Dining Hall Concert: Liis Ring

in the Mereranna Sanatorium dining hall | 6 concert

On stage Liis Ring

The photo exhibition of the dormant Mereranna Sanatorium creates an environment for a dining hall concert that takes place once a day.

Liis Ring is a musician, sound artist, and photographer who divides her time between South-East Estonia and the west coast of Sweden. Her work is site-specific, focusing on themes such as a sense of home, belonging, and language.

Her concerts are characterized by an audio-play-like quality, sensitivity, and improvisation, weaving together ambient electronics, field recordings, gentle vocals, and acoustic instruments.

As a solo artist, Liis has released four full-length albums and two EPs, performing in 12 European countries, Canada, and Japan. As a sound designer, she has worked on several theatre productions in Estonia, Sweden, and Belgium. As a photographer, her work has been showcased in multiple group exhibitions in Sweden and Estonia, and her audiovisual work Homing was released both as a photobook and an LP under the Norwegian record label and publisher Breton Cassette.

After-Spa Party: Silent Disco

in the Mereranna Sanatorium discoclub and lobby | exclusively on one night

DJs: Henessyi Schmidt, Janek Murd, Kirill havanski
Jazz Pianist: Vladimir Võssotski

A dance party featuring three different channels and a live pianist, held in the stage area of "club paradise."

Silent disco is one of the most tolerant party formats ever conceived. Not only does it allow partygoers to choose their preferred melodies and rhythms on their headphones, but it also respects the peace and quiet of the surroundings, as the music doesn't travel past the listeners' ears. To an outsider, however, it looks like a bizarre anthropological experiment—amidst an awkward silence, some are swaying, some are grooving, and others are bouncing. So why not take it a step further and add a pianist to the equation, keeping jazz alive in a smoky bar against all odds?

The silent disco DJs are the creators and performers of Hungerburg2024.

After-Spa: Dance-Off. Beach Edition

infront of the Hungerburg gates on A. Hahn Street | exclusively on one night

Dance-Off dancers Maiken Pius, Britt Kõrsmaa, Oliver Soomets
DJ Henessi Schmidt

Hungerburg2024 closed with Tantsulaager (The Dance-Off)—a dance party that is truly a dance party, in more ways than one.

Tantsulaager is an event series that originally started as a performance/action by Theatre NO99. Because that first, supposedly one-time-only Dance-Off was so wildly popular that the theatre building was bursting at the seams, it had to be repeated. And repeated. And repeated. Until NO99 came to an end. But Tantsulaager remained, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024 with the participation of the theatre's former actors and core dancers.

The Hungerburg2024 Dance-Off takes place on the edge of Estonia's longest sandy beach and is dedicated to beach rhythms. It’s a party with a wild twist, where everyone dances along to the inspiration of music videos, led by hot onstage dancers. The intense dance energy on stage is there for the crowd in front to follow—alone, in pairs, or in groups. The entirety of Hahn Street and the beach beyond is yours to fill.

Tantsulaager had never visited Ida-Viru County before, though it has been hosted at the Tartu New Theatre. This party, balancing on the edge of the familiar and the unknown, was the perfect way to wrap up the trip to Narva-Jõesuu, as Hungerburg2024 went down in history with the final track.