Finland's National Theatre 1974–1991

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

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