ABSTRACT
According to the concluding chapter, during the decades under review, the average age of the National Theatre acting cast declined significantly. The number of other permanent artistic staff was small and varied widely. Owing to the large number of visiting directors, no special artistic vision emerged for the National Theatre from a stage directing point of view, though the Theatre’s extensive international connections ensured that it stood out among other contemporary Finnish theatres. The most visible changes at the Theatre pertained to its performance spaces, and the construction of smaller stages impacted audience segmentation, theatre programming selection, and the dramatic vision of the productions themselves. The Theatre also expanded its administrative connections with key national decision-makers, but retained its independence and held on to its private ownership model. In the run-up to the end of the Cold War, Finland’s location on the western edge of the Iron Curtain between the two power blocs of a divided Europe, as well as its language and social atmosphere, formed an important context for the National Theatre’s activities, which was reflected in the formation of its own cultural status in Finland and in its international relations.
