Introduction

The Finnish National Theatre: tradition and turbulent time

National stature and the fulfilling the national mission

Researching theatre history

Approaching the past: sources

The Finnish National Theatre during a time of rupture: contents

Part I Operational frames

The Finnish National Theatre and the changing field of theatre

New artistic direction(s)

Private, national, and societal pressures

The National Theatre and its national operations

Caught between East and West

Experiencing, conveying, and interpreting

The Finnish National Theatre and the Finnish press

The National Theatre and the general public

The creators of the artistic direction

Th actors’ theatre

The productions’ artistic backgrounds

Artistic forays over the border

A national landmark renewed and replenished

National Main Stage

From modern architecture to spatial exploration

A functioning family

Part II Programming, performances, and the national agenda

The National mission driving the National Theatre’s programming

Chasing diversity and artistic merit

Debates about the development of domestic Finnish drama

Crossing the border between high and low art

High and low in the context of the domestic repertoire

The challenges of updating traditional classics

The Finnish people on stage

The Finland of poets

Finnish history without a nationalist slant

Historical characters from across the decades

War history and contemporary politics on-stage

Significant literary works as national interpretations

Shakespeare as a contemporary mirror

The cultural heritage of Continental Europe

Old Russian drama

Modern dramatic classics

A generation of masters

Anglo-American relationship drama

Social documentary from behind the Iron Curtain

Modern drama from the Continent

The return to absurdist roots

New Eastern European drama

Rarities from the Soviet Union

From metaphor to commentary-style

Estonian history

New plays from the West

Trying to fill the Main Stage auditorium

Relationships and cultural caricatures

Dramatic and stage celebrity

Global victims: abuses of power

Historic moments of stardom

Social upheaval on the national stage

Pacifism in its different modes

Generational rebellion on-stage

The environment threats

Popular and commercial elements and Ntaional Theatre press debates

From classic farce to folk theatre

An operetta causes a scandal

Criticism and crisis at the centre of public attention

The advent of the small and the young

The opening of the Omapohja studio performance space

A new generation of playwrights

Theatre company visits from the East and the West

Gorki Theatare, Taganka, and other Eastern European triumphs

The return of the Estonia-connection

British theatrical culture

Western diversity and Far East traditions

The Finnish National Theatre travels

To conclude: The National Theatre during a time of transition

Changing times and the National Theatre’s policy

The international Finnish National Theatre

National drama, national character, and collective memory

Sources and Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Pirkko Koski is Professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy, History and Art Studies at the University of Helsinki.

Table of Contents

About the Author