Swedish Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Theatre is a Swedish-speaking theatre
in Helsinki
, Finland
and is located at the Erottaja
(Skillnaden in Swedish) square, at the end of Esplanadi
(Esplanaden in Swedish). It was the first national stage of Finland.
was located in the corner of Mikaelsgatan and Esplanaden. At the time the theatre was opened it had no permanent actors and many of the actors who performed in the theatre during that time were en route to Saint Petersburg
.
The theatre designed by Engel soon became too small as the interest in theatre grew rapidly among the citizens of Helsinki. The new theatre building was opened on 28 November in 1860. The new building, which was designed by Georg Theodor von Chiewitz, was built on Skillnaden, on the same site as the current Svenska Teatern. The first play performed in the new theatre was Princessan av Cypern by Zacharias Topelius
and Fredrik Pacius
. The first actors of the theatre were from the group of Pierre Deland
. The group performed in the theatre 1860-1861. The language was initially Swedish, but Finnish language was soon launched on stage by the Swedish actress Hedvig Raa-Winterhjelm
.
Only three years after the new theatre building was completed it was destroyed in a fire in 1863. The building was soon rebuilt, in the Neoclassical style
, and the theatre re-opened its doors in 1866. This time the architect was Nikolaj Benois from Russia. The theatre carried the name Nya Teatern (New Theatre) until the year 1887, when a Finnish theatre was opened in Helsinki. Since 1887 the name of the theatre has been Svenska Teatern.
The building of Svenska Teatern was renovated in 1935 by architects Eero Saarinen
and Jarl Eklund. The richly decorated facade of the building was replaced with a new facade representing functionalism
.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the directors of the theatre were mainly Swedish and many of the actors came from Sweden. In 1915, it was decided that theatre was to become a national stage for the Finland-Swedish theatre. Already in 1908, a new theatre school was founded by the theatre.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, 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...
and is located at the Erottaja
Erottaja
Erottaja , meaning "the separator", is a public square near the centre of Helsinki, Finland.Erottaja square has been selected as the official geographic "zero point" of Helsinki. Distances to all other cities in Finland are measured starting from here. In practice, the square functions as the...
(Skillnaden in Swedish) square, at the end of Esplanadi
Esplanadi
In the heart of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the two streets constituting Esplanadi are officially named Pohjoisesplanadi and Eteläesplanadi...
(Esplanaden in Swedish). It was the first national stage of Finland.
History
The first theatre in Helsinki was completed in 1827. The wooden building designed by architect Carl Ludvig EngelCarl Ludvig Engel
Carl Ludvig Engel, or Johann Carl Ludwig Engel , was a German architect known for his neoclassical style. He had a great impact on the architecture of Finland in the first part of the 19th century....
was located in the corner of Mikaelsgatan and Esplanaden. At the time the theatre was opened it had no permanent actors and many of the actors who performed in the theatre during that time were en route to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
The theatre designed by Engel soon became too small as the interest in theatre grew rapidly among the citizens of Helsinki. The new theatre building was opened on 28 November in 1860. The new building, which was designed by Georg Theodor von Chiewitz, was built on Skillnaden, on the same site as the current Svenska Teatern. The first play performed in the new theatre was Princessan av Cypern by Zacharias Topelius
Zacharias Topelius
Zachris Topelius was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history in Swedish.-Life and career:...
and Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius was a German composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music"....
. The first actors of the theatre were from the group of Pierre Deland
Pierre Deland
Pierre Joseph Deland, , was a Swedish actor and theatre director. As director of the Deland travelling theatre, he was one of the most famous artists in both Sweden and Finland during the mid 19th century. His troupe inaugurated several of the first theatres founded in the Swedish and Finnish towns...
. The group performed in the theatre 1860-1861. The language was initially Swedish, but Finnish language was soon launched on stage by the Swedish actress Hedvig Raa-Winterhjelm
Hedvig Raa-Winterhjelm
Hedvig Charlotta Raa-Winterhjelm, née Forssman, , was a Swedish actor active in Sweden, Norway and Finland...
.
Only three years after the new theatre building was completed it was destroyed in a fire in 1863. The building was soon rebuilt, in the Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, and the theatre re-opened its doors in 1866. This time the architect was Nikolaj Benois from Russia. The theatre carried the name Nya Teatern (New Theatre) until the year 1887, when a Finnish theatre was opened in Helsinki. Since 1887 the name of the theatre has been Svenska Teatern.
The building of Svenska Teatern was renovated in 1935 by architects Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
and Jarl Eklund. The richly decorated facade of the building was replaced with a new facade representing functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the directors of the theatre were mainly Swedish and many of the actors came from Sweden. In 1915, it was decided that theatre was to become a national stage for the Finland-Swedish theatre. Already in 1908, a new theatre school was founded by the theatre.