Pyynikin kesäteatteri
Encyclopedia
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, known especially for its revolving auditorium
Revolving auditorium
A revolving auditorium is a mechanically controlled seating area within a theatre which can be rotated in order to manipulate the change of scenery and stage sets during the performance...
. It is one of the largest summer theatres in Finland and has been running uninterrupted longer than any other open-air theatre in the country.
The theatre was founded in 1948 and was originally named Tampereen Kesäteatteri (Tampere Summer Theatre). It started operating in Joselininniemi, on the shore of the lake Pyhäjärvi
Pyhäjärvi
Pyhäjärvi is a town and municipality in the south of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. Pyhäjärvi also borders the Northern Savonia and Central Finland regions. The town belongs to the subregion of Nivala–Haapajärvi...
, where the performances continue to be held until today. In 1955 the name of the theatre was changed to Pyynikin Kesäteatteri.
The theatre increased its popularity throughout the latter half of the 1950s. The construction of the rotating auditorium, designed by the architect Reijo Ojanen and holding 800 seats, was completed in 1959. The real breakthrough for Pyynikin Kesäteatteri came in the 1960s with the play Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier). This stage adaptation of the novel by Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
became hugely popular and remained in the repertoire for nearly a decade.
The revolving auditorium was fully renovated in the mid-1990s, when the number of seats was increased to 836. Since January 2001, the theatre has been run by Pyynikin Kesäteatterisäätiö (Pyynikki Summer Theatre Foundation). In 2005 a roof for the auditorium was completed, thus lengthening the usability of the theatre in spring and autumn in the Nordic weather conditions.
Tampereen Teatterikerho, which managed the theatre before the foundation was formed, has been an important influence in the cultural life of Tampere, because its support enabled the founding of Tampereen Teatterikesä (Tampere Theatre Festival
Tampere theatre festival
The Tampere Theatre Festival, or Tampereen Teatterikesä, takes place in Tampere, Finland, at the beginning of August and is the oldest annual theatre festival in the Nordic countries. The festival was started in 1969 with support from Tampereen Teatterikerho...
) in 1969 and Teatteri 2000 in 1985.
Repertoire
The repertoire of Pyynikin Kesäteatteri has from the beginning consisted mainly of Finnish drama and comedy. Among others, works by Aleksis KiviAleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi , born Alexis Stenvall, was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers...
, Minna Canth
Minna Canth
Minna Canth was a Finnish writer and social activist. Canth began to write while managing her family draper's shop and living as a widow raising seven children...
, Johannes Linnankoski
Johannes Linnankoski
Johannes Linnankoski was a Finnish author. His most famous work is the sensual Laulu tulipunaisesta kukasta...
, Joel Lehtonen
Joel Lehtonen
Joel Lehtonen was a Finnish author, translator, critic and journalist. Born in Sääminki , he committed suicide in November 1934. His childhood was fatherless and poverty-stricken, his mother suffered from mental frailties and Joel himself was forced into paupery...
, Maiju Lassila, Maria Jotuni
Maria Jotuni
Maria Gustaava Jotuni was a notable Finnish author and a playwright.-Life:...
, Jalmari Finne, Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
, Kalle Päätalo
Kalle Päätalo
Kaarlo Alvar Päätalo was a Finnish novelist, the most popular Finnish writer in the 20th century. His Iijoki series, comprising 26 novels, is one of the longest autobiographical works ever written....
and Hella Wuolijoki
Hella Wuolijoki
Hella Wuolijoki was a Finnish writer of Estonian origin, known for her Niskavuori series.-Life & career:Wuolijoki was born in Helme, Estonia....
have been adapted for the Pyynikki stage. Of international classics, plays by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
have been the most often performed.
The Unknown Soldier (novel)
The Unknown Soldier is author Väinö Linna's first major novel and his other major work besides Under the North Star. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers...
by Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
, directed by Edvin Laine
Edvin Laine
Edvin Laine was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán.Laine directed Aaltoska orkaniseeraa, a comedy, in 1949....
. It premiered in 1961 and continued to be performed for nine summers. A total of 348 854 people saw the play. In the 1970s the most viewed productions were Ihmisiä kairassa by Kalle Päätalo
Kalle Päätalo
Kaarlo Alvar Päätalo was a Finnish novelist, the most popular Finnish writer in the 20th century. His Iijoki series, comprising 26 novels, is one of the longest autobiographical works ever written....
, directed by Edvin Laine
Edvin Laine
Edvin Laine was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán.Laine directed Aaltoska orkaniseeraa, a comedy, in 1949....
(1977) and Ihmisiä suviyössä by F.E. Sillanpää, directed by Rauli Lehtonen (1978). The biggest box office successes of the 1980s in Pyynikki were A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, directed by Jiří Menzel
Jirí Menzel
Jiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...
, and Kätkäläinen by Simo Hämäläinen, directed by Markku Onttonen. The latter made Pyynikin Kesäteatteri the 7th biggest theatre in Finland.
The repertoire of the 1990s was structured around Akseli ja Elina and Täällä Pohjantähden alla (Under the North Star
Under the North Star
Under the North Star is a novel trilogy by Finnish author Väinö Linna published 1959–1962. It follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880 to about 1950 while simultaneously describing the effects of the important ideals and events of that period have on ordinary people...
), both based on novels by Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
, as well as a new version of Tuntematon sotilas. These were all directed by Kalle Holmberg. In the 2000s, the emphasis has been on comedy and plays featuring plenty of Finnish popular music.
Plays performed in Pyynikin Kesäteatteri 1990-2007
- 1990 Hugo RaudseppHugo RaudseppHugo Raudsepp was an influential and prolific Estonian playwright. In 1951 he was deported to the Irkutsk region by the Soviet authorities, where he died.-Life:...
: Puolimatka pulassa - 1991 Maiju Lassila: Kilpakosijat
- 1992 Tauno Yliruusu: Kesäillan valssi
- 1993-94 Väinö LinnaVäinö LinnaVäinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
: Akseli ja Elina - 1995-96 Väinö LinnaVäinö LinnaVäinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
: Täällä Pohjantähden alla (Under the North StarUnder the North StarUnder the North Star is a novel trilogy by Finnish author Väinö Linna published 1959–1962. It follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880 to about 1950 while simultaneously describing the effects of the important ideals and events of that period have on ordinary people...
) - 1997 Väinö LinnaVäinö LinnaVäinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
: Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown SoldierThe Unknown Soldier (novel)The Unknown Soldier is author Väinö Linna's first major novel and his other major work besides Under the North Star. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers...
) - 1998 Laila Hietamies: Maan kämmenellä
- 1999 Lars HuldenLars HuldénLars Huldén is a Swedish-speaking Finn writer and translator. He was professor at Helsinki university 1964–1989. He has researched Carl Michael Bellman, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish dialects and toponomy....
& Sven Sid: Kesäpäivä Kangasalla - 2000 Kalle PäätaloKalle PäätaloKaarlo Alvar Päätalo was a Finnish novelist, the most popular Finnish writer in the 20th century. His Iijoki series, comprising 26 novels, is one of the longest autobiographical works ever written....
: Pohjalta ponnistaen - 2001 AgapetusAgapetusAgapetus may refer to:* Agapetus , an ancient Greek doctor* Pope Agapetus I * Pope Agapetus II * Agapetus of Seleucia, a fourth century metropolitan bishop of Seleucia ad Calycadnum* Agapetus , a sixth century deacon...
: Aatamin puvussa ja vähän Eevankin - 2002 Heikki Luoma: Vain muutaman huijarin tähden
- 2003 Heikki Vihinen: Hopeinen kuu
- 2004 Jukka Virtanen: Albatrossi ja Heiskanen
- 2005 Johannes LinnankoskiJohannes LinnankoskiJohannes Linnankoski was a Finnish author. His most famous work is the sensual Laulu tulipunaisesta kukasta...
: Tulipunakukka - 2006 Veikko HuovinenVeikko HuovinenVeikko Huovinen was a Finnish novelist known for his realism, pacifism, sharp intellect, and peculiar humor. He wrote 37 books.-Early life:...
: Lampaansyöjät - 2007 Heikki Luoma: Mooseksen perintö
- 2008 Timo Kahilainen ja Heikki Vihinen: Kalliolle kukkulalle
- 2009 Hella WuolijokiHella WuolijokiHella Wuolijoki was a Finnish writer of Estonian origin, known for her Niskavuori series.-Life & career:Wuolijoki was born in Helme, Estonia....
& Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
: Iso-Heikkilän isäntä ja hänen renkinsä Kalle - 2010 Anna-Leena HärkönenAnna-Leena HärkönenAnna-Leena Härkönen is a Finnish writer and actress.She was born in Liminka and studied acting at the college of drama and the University of Tampere's program of drama studies, which she concluded in 1989. She won the J. H...
: Häräntappoase