Playing with Classics in Contemporary Estonian Theatre
Playing with Classics in Contemporary Estonian Theatre

Summary/Abstract: The share of world and national drama classics in the repertoire of Estonian theatres has been comparatively high in the past decades, with certain preferences standing out. In the 1960-80s the proportion of classics among the premieres was about one-third. The most popular authors were Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov and Brecht. The dramatic political and cultural events of the 1990s brought about no major change in this respect. The share of classics in the repertoire of Estonian state theatres remains approximately the same: 25–30%. Widely recognised classics from the realm of European culture like Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov are still preferred, as well as national classics, like Anton Hansen Tammsaare (1878–1940) and Oskar Luts (1887–1953) - authors from the first half of the 20th century, who have been all-time favourites of the Estonian theatre but are famous for, in the first place, their fictional prose works). Such a selection seems to be quite conservative and risk-free. One can, of course, also find some repertory discoveries (in the Estonian context) - for instance Calderón’s Life Is a Dream, translated by Jüri Talvet and staged by Ingo Normet in 2000; or French writers like Paul Claudel (The Exchange, produced in the 1920s, reappeared after a long time on the stage in 1999), Jean Giraudoux (the first production of his dramaturgy in Estonian theatre was that of Ondine in 1996), and the surrealist writer Roger Vitrac (Victor, or The Children Take Power in 1998). The entrance of Polish avant-garde classics like Witold Gombrowicz into Estonian cultural space with Mati Unt’s two remarkable productions- Iwona, Princess of Burgundia (1994) and The Marriage (2000) - is also worth mentioning.[...]

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