{"id":734,"date":"2019-06-18T18:35:39","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T18:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/?p=734"},"modified":"2023-03-19T09:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T09:50:18","slug":"institutional-and-aesthetic-developments-in-estonian-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/institutional-and-aesthetic-developments-in-estonian-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Institutional and Aesthetic Developments in Estonian Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anneli Saro<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Abstract<\/strong>: This article gives an overview of recent institutional and aesthetic developments in Estonian theatre, exposing their historical context where necessary. Estonia has preserved its network of professional theatres, but many independent theatres and groups have broadened the notion of theatre. State support to performing arts has increased considerably year-by-year. The exploration of Estonian cultural history has become a fashionable subject. The younger generation of theatre makers is interested in documentary theatre, but the most prominent new forms of theatre are stand-up and mono comedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Estonian theatre, theatre system, documentary drama, stand-up, NO99<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Theatre\nInstitutions<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Estonia\nhas, in general terms, preserved its network of professional theatres as it was\nestablished during the first period of national independence (1918-40) and\nmodified during the Soviet era. In a broader international context, this is\nquite exceptional, as quite a few theatres were closed down in many European\ncountries during the economic recession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today,\nthere are eight professional state theatres (state-established foundations) in\nEstonia; namely, the National Opera Estonia, the Estonian Drama Theatre, the\nRussian Theatre, and the Estonian Puppet and Youth Theatre, all in the capital\ncity of Tallinn; and the Vanemuine, the Ugala, the Endla and the Rakvere\nTheatre in other towns. With the exception of the National Opera Estonia and\nthe Vanemuine, all others are drama theatres; the Vanemuine produces drama,\nmusic and dance performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ninternationally acclaimed Estonian theatre NO99 closed down at the end of 2018\nby the decision of the troupe. However, an open call has been announced to find\na new group or theatre maker to use their building. There are also two\nmunicipal theatres: the Tallinn City Theatre and the Kuressaare City Theatre.\nLocal municipalities have limited resources and do not show much enthusiasm in\nsupporting the local cultural institutions in comparison with the Nordic countries. All the institutions are\nrepertory theatres with their own buildings and permanent troupes. These\ntheatres currently stage an average of eight to ten\nproductions per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Performing places in Estonia 2017. Estonian Theatre Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many\ntroupes operating outside of Tallinn find themselves \u201ctrapped\u201d within huge\nbuildings, most of them constructed during the Soviet era. On the one hand, the\nmaintenance of buildings specifically built as theatres has proven highly\nexpensive; on the other hand, large 500-seat halls in cities with populations\nof 20,000 to 40,000 (for example, Rakvere Viljandi and P\u00e4rnu) are no longer\nneeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless,\nthere is a reluctance to give up theatre houses that have acquired symbolic\nsignificance. By the early twenty-first century, almost all theatre buildings\nin Estonia were freshly renovated; theatres in smaller cities also operate as\ncultural centres, organising film screenings, concerts, seminars, and so on.\nFew new venues for performing arts have been built in independent Estonia; the\nmost significant among them is the Open Space in Tallinn (2014) and in the\nborder city Narva (2018). There is a constant discussion going on as to\nwhat\/whom the state should finance: is it professional theatre activities,\ntroupes or building maintenance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vaba Lava, Open Space in Tallinn. Photo: Aron Urb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A\nsignificant change in the post-Soviet period occurred with the appearance of\nprivate theatres and freelance groups. Among the oldest and most influential\nprivate theatres are the VAT Theatre (1987), the Von Krahl Theatre (1992), the\nTheatrum (1994), and the Kanuti Gildi SAAL (2001). These independent groups\ninitially opposed, organisationally and aesthetically, both institutional\ntheatres and established theatre makers, emphasising their own advantages, such\nas flexibility, liberal views and an orientation towards (post)modernisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nfew years later, when they started receiving state support, these artists more\nor less merged with the mainstream, whilst, at the same time, widening the\nconcept of theatre. The number of theatre institutions has grown steadily ever\nsince, and the trend did not change even during the recession of 2008, when\nseveral new interesting companies, such as the Tartu New Theatre (2008) or the\nCabaret Rhizome (2009), were established. Most private theatres have permanent\nproduction spaces and management consisting of two or three people in permanent\npost (as opposed to actors, who are usually hired for single projects). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare no traditional commercial theatres in Estonia, but many theatre projects,\nespecially comedies and stand-up comedies, have mainly commercial objectives.\nThe situation in the entertainment market is tense, as both state-supported\nrepertory theatres and project-based private enterprisers struggle to survive\nin a small theatre market, often using similar production and marketing\nstrategies and, sometimes, even the same staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Financing of Theatres<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In\n2017, 49 institutions declared theatre production as either their main or side\nactivity. Out of them, 26 (11 state and municipal theatres and 15 private\ncompanies) received state support of 53.5 million euro. State support to\nperforming arts\n(including investments in infrastructure) increased by more than 100 percent\nover the past five years (from 24 million in 2012). During the last two\ndecades, state subsidies for institutional theatres have covered 50-85 percent\nof their expenses, depending on the genre (music and dance theatres being at\nthe upper end of the scale) and on the theatres\u2019 own potential for generating\nrevenue (theatres in bigger cities are found at the lower end of the scale).\nThis means that the well-being of theatres has become increasingly dependent on\ntheir audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theatre attendance has been fairly stable during the last 20 years, with signs of a slight increase. In 2017, there were 1.2 million theatre visits in the country (which has a population of 1.3 million[1]<\/sup><\/a>). This is comparable with the theatre attendance in Iceland and Finland, which has given Estonian theatre reason for boasting. However, the number of theatres, productions (487 in 2012, 626 in 2017) and performances (5,678 in 2012, 7,100 in 2017) is constantly increasing, so that the number of visits is being divided among an increasing number of theatrical events. This development has resulted in smaller revenues per production and performance, which is making the financial situation of the theatres more difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nMinistry of Culture finances performing arts institutions which regularly give\npublic performances, hire artists and have an artistic director and an advisory\nboard. State subsidies are calculated based on audience numbers to cover the\ndifference between the ticket price (traditionally expected not to exceed 1\npercent of the average monthly salary, yet the aim is usually not met) and real\nexpenses. By this method, a certain number of new productions are commissioned\nby theatre institutions in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsidies\nof municipal and private theatres depend on their importance for national\nculture as well as for the region. In principle, this means that donations to\nprivate theatres\/groups are based, primarily, on their artistic quality. The\nsubsidization of private theatres has been increasing slightly annually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since\nthe end of the twentieth century, private theatres have been receiving 5-6 percent\nof the total subsidies for theatre. In recent years, roughly 50-85 percent of\nthe budget of state institutions and 40-70 per cent of the budget of private\ntheatres has been covered by state subsidies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An\nimportant role in supporting the artistic and social output of private theatres\nand individuals is played by the Estonian Cultural Endowment (1925-40, 1994-),\nwhich is financed from alcohol, tobacco and gambling taxes and from investment\ndividends. The Cultural Endowment distributes its funds through specialised\ncommittees consisting of professionals in the particular fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers and their Status<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By\nthe turn of the century, the size of troupes had diminished considerably and\nhas remained stable. Increasingly, theatres have started to employ guest actors\nand stage directors, who may have contractual obligations to a different\ntheatre or may be freelancers. In general, Estonian actors and directors have\ndemonstrated considerable loyalty to their profession, even though their\nsalaries have remained modest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since\nthe beginning of 2019, the minimum salary of a theatre practitioner,  educated to university level and working in a\nstate institution, is 1,300 euros, while the average salary in Estonia is\ncurrently 1,455 euros. However, as noted by many financial directors, the\nregulations have left very little room for the differentiation of salaries\namong newcomers, experienced and star actors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nunemployment rate of actors is not known, but there seems to be an\noverproduction of actors and underproduction of technical staff. Since theatre\npractitioners have traditionally been highly respected and admired in Estonia,\nmany of them have the advantage of earning extra income from advertising, film\nand the entertainment industry more generally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n