Finland
The Finnish National Theater (SUOMEN KANSALLISTEATTERI) is the leading theater in Finland. It was established in 1872. It did not have its own stage until 1902, when a magnificent neo-Romantic building was built for it in the center of Helsinki, designed by architect Onni Tornqvist-Tarjanne. This is where the Main Stage is located.
Today the theater has three more venues: the Small Stage was built in 1954, the Villensauna Stage in 1976 and the Omapohja Studio in 1987.
Mika Milliaho has been at the helm of the theater since 2010. One of the artistic strategies of the new director has been the involvement of contemporary authors such as Juha Jokela, Paavo Vesterberg and Laura Ruhonen. Strengthening the position of new Finnish playwrights is one of the basic principles of the theater, which also has a wide range of international playwrights on its playbill. In recent years, the theater has expanded its educational and social activities. A new subdivision, the Touring Stage, has been created, which focuses on showing small-format plays in remote Finnish regions and organizations - schools, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons.
At the I Alexandrinsky Festival the Finnish National Theater presented the play "The Young Mistress of Niskavuori" (October 12 and 13, 2006) by H. Vuolijoki (directed by Juha Lehtola). Vuolijoki (directed by Juha Lehtola).
At the Ninth Alexandrinsky Festival Finnish National Theater presented Janne Reinikainen's play "The lower depth" based on Maxim Gorky's play of the same name (October 7 and 8, 2015 at the Akimov Theatre of Comedy).