Jaak Allik (born 6 October 1946) is an Estonian theatre critic, theatre director and politician. He is a member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

, and was previously the Estonian Minister of Culture 1995–1999 (). He was member of the VII, VIII and X

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

Personal life

Allik studied at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a major in sociology and history, later working as a lecturer in that same university. He worked as a theater director and designer in the 1980s, becoming the set designer for

Ugala Ugala is a theatre in Viljandi, Estonia. The theatre was founded in 1920 opening on January 10 of that year. The first production was Oscar Wilde's "Salome (play), Salome". Ugala's Artistic Directors *1925 - 1926: Andres Särev *1926 – 1928 ...

. Because Allik had been a part of the Estonian Communist Party since 1971 (and, ultimately, the

CPSU The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

), he became part of groups such as the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

and involved with notable Estonian communists such as Mikk Titma and Indrek Toome. After an independent Estonia Allik was mainly a theater director and theater critic but still remained in politics. Allik's parents were the communist politicians Hendrik Allik and Olga Lauristin during the 1940s. His maternal half-sister is the sociologist and politician

Marju Lauristin Marju Lauristin (born 7 April 1940) is an Estonian politician, and former Member of the European Parliament and Minister of Social Affairs. She is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists. Lauristin is ...

. His son, Mihkel Allik, has been an advisor to the

Chancellor of Justice The Chancellor of Justice is a government official found in some northern European countries, broadly responsible for supervising the lawfulness of government actions. History In 1713, the Swedish King Charles XII, preoccupied with fighting t ...

. His cousin is the architect

Vilen Künnapu Vilen Künnapu (born 30 June 1948) is one of the most important Estonian architects of the last three decades, among the first postmodernist theoreticians and architects in the 1970s. He has worked on various buildings in Estonia and abroad.

Awards

* Honoured Worker of the Arts Industry of the

Estonian SSR The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit ( union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the occupied and annexed territory of Estonia ...

(1986) *

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

, 4th Class (2002) * Order of the City of

Viljandi Viljandi (, , , , ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major ...

(2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allik, Jaak 1946 births Living people Politicians from Tallinn Communist Party of Estonia politicians Estonian Coalition Party politicians People's Union of Estonia politicians Social Democratic Party (Estonia) politicians Ministers of culture of Estonia Members of the Riigikogu, 1995–1999 Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 Estonian theatre directors Estonian theatre critics University of Tartu alumni Honoured Workers of the Arts Industry of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class