Merle Karusoo’s Memory Theatre
Merle Karusoo’s Memory Theatre

Summary/Abstract: My aim is to analyze the phenomenon of sociologically oriented documentary productions by the Estonian female stage director Merle Karusoo (b. 1944). In recent years I have become interested in the role of the Estonian theatre in cultivating, and also stabilizing, national memory and identity. The impact of the Estonian theatre on the national movement can be traced from the time of the national awakening at the end of the 19th century, when similar events happened elsewhere in Europe, to the present. I have chosen the period of contemporary national theatre history, namely from the 1970s to the year 2000. Because of the changing socio-political context - in broad terms, the 1970s marking the time of the “deep” Soviet occupation; the 1980s, especially the second half of the decade, involving the subconscious awareness of possible future changes; and the 1990s, effecting the transition from one political-economic situation to another - these decades offer interesting and inspiring material for historical-comparative studies, presenting evidence of how problems of memory and identity have been reflected in the productions of national classics as well as of contemporary Estonian drama. Judging by the stage works of persons whose texts and/or productions are representative in that sense, I am convinced that Merle Karusoo definitely belongs to their company.[...]

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