Pyynikki Summer Theatre ( fi, Pyynikin kesäteatteri) is an

open-air theatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) 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 ...

operating in Tampere, Finland, known especially for its revolving auditorium. 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, 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 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, which a ...

and holding 800 seats, was completed in 1959. 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 by Väinö Linna 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 (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 author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, ''Seitsemän veljestä'' ("Seven Brothers") in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 p ...

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 addres ...

, Johannes Linnankoski,

Joel Lehtonen Joel Lehtonen (27 November 1881 – 20 November 1934) was a Finnish author, translator, critic and journalist. He was born in Sääminki (now part of Savonlinna). His childhood was fatherless and poverty-stricken, his mother suffered from mental f ...

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 man ...

Maria Jotuni Maria Gustaava Jotuni (Haggrén until 1906, Jotuni-Tarkiainen from 1911, born 9 April 1880 Jalmari Finne Jalmari is a Finnish male given name which derives from the Old Norse male name ''Hjalmar'' or ''Hjálmarr'' (''hjalmr'' 'helmet' + ''arr'' 'warrior/army'). Notable people with the name ''Jalmari'' include: *Jalmari Eskola (1886–1958), Finnish a ...

, Väinö Linna, Kalle Päätalo and

Hella Wuolijoki Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886 – 2 February 1954), also known by the pen name Juhani Tervapää, was an Estonian-born Finnish writer known for her ''Niskavuori'' series.Wuolijoki, Hella. Eesti Entsüklopeedia 10. Estonian ...

have been adapted for the Pyynikki stage. Of international classics, plays by William Shakespeare have been the most often performed. Tuntematon1997 2

The best-known and most successful play in Pyynikki Summer Theatre has been Tuntematon sotilas by Väinö Linna, directed by Edvin Laine. 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, directed by Edvin Laine (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 a ...

, 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 written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

by William Shakespeare, 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'' ( fi, Akseli ja 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 volume of Väinö Linna's novel trilogy ''Under the ...

and

Täällä Pohjantähden alla ''Under the North Star'' ( fi, Täällä Pohjantähden alla) is a trilogy published between 1959 and 1962 by Finnish author Väinö Linna. The novel follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through the First World War, the Finnish Civil ...

(

Under the North Star ''Under the North Star'' ( fi, Täällä Pohjantähden alla) is a trilogy published between 1959 and 1962 by Finnish author Väinö Linna. The novel follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through the First World War, the Finnish Civil ...

), both based on novels by Väinö Linna, 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 Hamrun Spartans. He was the topscorer during the 2017 Allsvenskan The 2017 Allsvenskan, part of the 2017 Swedish football s ...

. 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 20 ...

: Puolimatka pulassa *1991

: Kilpakosijat *1992 Tauno Yliruusu: Kesäillan valssi *1993–94 Väinö Linna: Akseli ja Elina *1995–96 Väinö Linna: Täällä Pohjantähden alla (

) *1997 Väinö Linna: Tuntematon sotilas ( The Unknown Soldier) *1998 Laila Hietamies: Maan kämmenellä *1999

Lars Hulden Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was born ...

& Sven Sid: Kesäpäivä Kangasalla *2000 Kalle Päätalo: Pohjalta ponnistaen *2001

Agapetus Agapetus ( grc, Ἀγαπητός, link=no, ''beloved'') may refer to: * ''Agapetus'' (caddisfly), a genus of caddisflies ** List of Agapetus species * Agapetus (deacon) (), a deacon of the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople * Agapetus (ph ...

: 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 Linnankoski: Tulipunakukka *2006

Veikko Huovinen Veikko Huovinen (7 May 1927 – 4 October 2009) was a Finnish novelist and forester. As a novelist, his writing was known for its realism, pacifism, sharp intellect, and peculiar humor. He wrote 37 books, and one of his best-known humorous novels ...

: Lampaansyöjät (

The Sheep Eaters ''The Sheep Eaters'' ( fi, Lampaansyöjät) is a humorous Finnish novel written by Veikko Huovinen in 1970, subtitled “Finnish Outing Story.” It tells the story of two men, Sepe and Valtteri, who embark on a special car trip in August. The inte ...

) *2007 Heikki Luoma: Mooseksen perintö *2008 Timo Kahilainen ja Heikki Vihinen: Kalliolle kukkulalle *2009

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

: 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 *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

External links

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

Repertoire

Further reading

External links