Pyynikki Summer Theatre () or Pyynikki Open Air Theatre is a theatre operating in

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, known especially for its

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. Revolving auditoriums are favoured by open-air theatres in p ...

. It is one of the largest summer theatres in Finland and has been running uninterrupted longer than any other

open-air theatre An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

in the country.

History

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 (1993–1995 ''Pyhäsalmi'') 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–H ...

, 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 Reijo is a Finland, Finnish male given name. There are more than 27,000 people with this name in Finland. More than half of them were born in the 1940s and 1950s. It originated as a variation of the Latin name Gregorius and the Greek name Gregorios, ...

and holding 800 seats, was completed in 1959. The seating area could be turned to face different sets. The real breakthrough for Pyynikki Summer Theatre came in the 1960s with the play Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier). This stage adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Väinö Linna Väinö Linna (; 20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was a Finnish author and a former soldier who fought in the Continuation War (1941–44). Linna gained literary fame with his third novel, ''Tuntematon sotilas'' ( ''The Unknown Soldier'', pu ...

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

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 founded in 1968 and the first festival was h ...

(Tampereen Teatterikesä) in 1969 and Teatteri 2000 in 1985.

Repertoire

The repertoire of Pyynikki Summer Theatre has from the beginning consisted mainly of Finnish drama and comedy. Among others, works by

Aleksis Kivi Aleksis Kivi (; born Alexis Stenvall; 10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872) was a Finnish writer who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, '' Seitsemän veljestä'' (''Seven Brothers''), published in 1870. He is also known ...

Minna Canth Minna Canth (; born Ulrika Wilhelmina Johnson; 19 March 1844 – 12 May 1897) 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. Her work address ...

Johannes Linnankoski Johannes Linnankoski (originally Vihtori Johan Peltonen, 18 October 1869 – 10 August 1913) was a Finnish author and playwright, who mainly influenced writing in the Golden Age of Finnish Art. His most famous work is the romance novel, ''The S ...

, Joel Lehtonen,

Maiju Lassila Algot Untola (28 November 1868 – 21 May 1918) was a Finnish writer and journalist. Untola was born in Tohmajärvi, to the ''Tietäväinen'' family, and his real name was ''Algoth'', but he changed the name to ''Algot Untola''. Untola had many ...

Maria Jotuni Maria Gustaava Jotuni (Haggrén until 1906, Jotuni-Tarkiainen from 1911, born 9 April 1880Jalmari Finne,

Kalle Päätalo Kaarlo (Kalle) Alvar Päätalo (11 November 1919 – 20 November 2000) 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 ...

and

Hella Wuolijoki Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886Hella Wuolijoki biography
, e ...

have been adapted for the Pyynikki stage. Of international classics, plays by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

have been the most often performed. Tuntematon1997 2

The best-known and most successful play in Pyynikki Summer Theatre has been Tuntematon sotilas by

, directed by

Edvin Laine Edvin Armas Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director and actor. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. '' The Unknown Sold ...

, who had also directed a 1955 film adaption based on Linna's novel. Tuntematon sotilas the play 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

, directed by

(1977) and Ihmisiä suviyössä by F.E.

Sillanpää Sillanpää (meaning "bridge's end") is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Miina Sillanpää (1866-1952), Finnish politician, first female Finnish minister * Rosa Sillanpää (1888–1929), Finnish trade union activist ...

, 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'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

, directed by

Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...

, 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 ''Akseli and Elina'' () is a 1970 Finnish drama film directed by Edvin Laine. It was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival. The film is based on the third and final volume of Väinö Linna's novel trilogy ''Under the North Sta ...

and

Täällä Pohjantähden alla ''Under the North Star'' () is a trilogy published between 1959 and 1962 by Väinö Linna, Finnish author and former soldier who fought in the Continuation War (1941–44). The novel follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through th ...

(

Under the North Star ''Under the North Star'' () is a trilogy published between 1959 and 1962 by Väinö Linna, Finnish author and former soldier who fought in the Continuation War (1941–44). The novel follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through th ...

), both based on novels by

, as well as a new version of Tuntematon sotilas. These were all directed by

Kalle Holmberg Karl Albin Elis "Kalle" Holmberg (born 3 March 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Örebro SK. He was the topscorer during the 2017 Allsvenskan season, which earned him a call-up to the Sweden national team. ...

. In the 2000s, the emphasis has been on comedy and plays featuring plenty of Finnish popular music. Plays performed in Pyynikki Summer Theatre 1990-2007 *1990

Hugo Raudsepp Hugo Raudsepp (10 July 1883 – 15 September 1952) was an influential and prolific Estonian playwright and politician. Cody, Sprinchorn 2007, p. 428. In 1951 he was deported to the Irkutsk region by the Soviet authorities, where he died. Raun 200 ...

: Puolimatka pulassa *1991

: Kilpakosijat *1992 Tauno Yliruusu: Kesäillan valssi *1993–94

: Akseli ja Elina *1995–96

: Täällä Pohjantähden alla (

) *1997

: Tuntematon sotilas ( The Unknown Soldier) *1998

Laila Hietamies Laila Ellen Kaarina Hirvisaari (7 June 1938 – 16 June 2021), also known as Laila Hietamies, was a Finnish author and writer. By 2008, more than four million copies of her works had been sold.(30 September 2008)Laila Hirvisaaren teoksia myyty yl ...

: Maan kämmenellä *1999 Lars Hulden & Sven Sid: Kesäpäivä Kangasalla *2000

: Pohjalta ponnistaen *2001 Agapetus: Aatamin puvussa ja vähän Eevankin *2002 Heikki Luoma: Vain muutaman huijarin tähden *2003 Heikki Vihinen: Hopeinen kuu *2004 Jukka Virtanen: Albatrossi ja Heiskanen *2005

: Tulipunakukka *2006 Veikko Huovinen: Lampaansyöjät ( The Sheep Eaters) *2007 Heikki Luoma: Mooseksen perintö *2008 Timo Kahilainen ja Heikki Vihinen: Kalliolle kukkulalle *2009

Hella Wuolijoki Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886Hella Wuolijoki biography
, e ...

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

: Iso-Heikkilän isäntä ja hänen renkinsä Kalle *2010

Anna-Leena Härkönen Anna-Leena Härkönen (born 10 April 1965) 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 ...

: Häräntappoase ( How to Kill a Bull) *2011 Paavo Haavikko: Rauta-aika *2012 Suokas-Syrjä-Vihinen: Kuuma kesä '85 *2013 Suokas-Syrjä-Vihinen: Kuuma kesä '85 *2014 Heikki Luoma: Pirunpelto *2015 Veera Nieminen: Avioliittosimulaattori

References

External links

Official website for Pyynikki Summer Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyynikin kesateatteri Theatres in Finland Buildings and structures in Tampere Culture in Tampere Tourist attractions in Tampere Pyynikki

History

Repertoire

References

Further reading

External links