Theatrical Exchanges across the Baltic Sea in the 1930s

This article explores theatrical exchanges across the Baltic Sea in the 1930s as part of the cultural diplomacy of recently independent Finland. The Finnish National Theatre visited the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn in 1931 and in 1937, and the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm in 1936. These theatre visits were different in terms of the visiting production. In Stockholm in 1936, and in Tallinn in 1937, the Finnish National Theatre showcased its work, while during the bilateral exchange with the Estonia Theatre in 1931, the main actors of two of the productions visited the other theatre and the audiences saw two hybrid performances of the two productions. Therefore, the visits are discussed in terms of international and transnational exchange

Creating an International Community during the Cold War

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Remains of a Past Production. : A Short Film Theatre (1957)

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A Turn in Teaching and Learning : The Transnational Classroom in an International Setting

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Kansallisteatteri ja kaksi Berliiniä

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Suomen ja Viron kulttuuri- ja teatterisuhteet

Koneen Säätiöllä käynnistyi 2016 Suomen muuttuvat naapuruudet -ohjelma, jonka ensimmäinen teemahaku oli Lähinaapurit. Helsingin ja Tarton yliopistojen välillä on ollut pitkään jatkunutta yhteisyötä ja tämän teemahaun kautta saimme rahoituksen kulttuuri- ja teatterisuhteita käsittelevälle tutkimukselle. Suomen ja Viron kulttuuri- ja teatterisuhteet -tutkimushanke tarkasteli naapuruutta esittävien taiteiden kautta. Suomen ja Viron teatterisuhteilla on pitkät perinteet, teatteriyhteydet Virosta tai Venäjän Baltian provinsseista Suomeen olivat vilkkaita jo 1800-luvun alussa, vaikka varsinaiset teatteriyhteydet alkoivatkin vasta 1800- ja 1900-lukujen vaihteessa. Lähtökohtana oli, että aikaansa sidottuna taiteena teatterin avulla on mahdollisuus tarkastella kunkin ajan mentaliteetteja. Yksittäisten taiteilijoiden vierailuina tai pidempinä työskentelyjaksoina käynnistyneet teatteriyhteydet saivat virallisempaa muotoa kummankin maan itsenäistyttyä. 1930-luvulla tapahtuneet Kansallisteatterin ja Estonia-teatterin vierailut olivat näyttävästi osa vastikään itsenäistyneiden maiden kulttuuridiplomatiaa. Kulttuuri- ja teatterisuhteet eivät katkenneet Viron ollessa osa Neuvostoliittoa, vaan yhteyksiä pidettiin yllä yksittäisten taitelijoiden verkostojen kautta

Anna Liisat: Maailman ja näyttämön muuttuva todellisuus

Anna Liisa’s Changing Realities of the World on Stage The article discusses the production history of Minna Canth’s last play, Anna Liisa (1895), and theatrical realism. Of all Canth’s plays Anna Liisa has enjoyed the most theatre productions; between 1895 and 2014 there were more than 70 performances in professional theatres in Finland. I demonstrate the different ways in which Canth’s Anna Liisa has been interpreted over the last 120 years. There seem to be three main traditions, and over the years the interpretative focus has changed from the community to the individual. The three traditions emphasise the religious, the social and the individual and are complementary rather than exclusive of one another. The play’s last scene in particular has been construed in widely differently ways. The premiere took place at the Finnish Theatre in Helsinki in 1895. The first productions interpreted the ending through Anna Liisa’s faith, a tradition that persisted until the early 1970s. Sakari Puurunen’s version at the Finnish National Theatre in 1972 marked a turning point. The production was celebrating the centennial of the Finnish Theatre, the predecessor of the Finnish National Theatre. It was the first production to focus on the social questions in the play, whose story involves a narrow-minded community following very strict norms of behaviour. Although Puurunen’s interpretation did not stress the play’s religious aspects, nevertheless the main character seemed to be the community rather than the individual. Only very recent interpretations, such as Tuija-Maija Niskanen’s television production (1988) and Mikko Roiha’s staging at the Vaasa Municipal Theatre (2003), have emphasised Anna Liisa’s personal experiences and memories, including her womanhood and sexuality. In these later productions Anna Liisa is seen as a woman, not as a young girl. Theatrical conventions have also changed. What is seen on stage is not the realistic milieu in which Anna Liisa and her community are living, but rather Anna Liisa’s inner world, her reality and how she perceives the world she lives in