Info
A warm thank you for the festival of 2024! Tampere Theatre Festival attracted approximately 56,000 festivalgoers.
The next Tampere Theatre Festival will be held 4–10 August 2025 – see you then!
Tampere Theatre Festival is the oldest and the largest professional theatre festival in the Nordic countries, serving as a display window for the most interesting and up-to-the-minute productions in Finnish theatre, and attracting leading international guests from all corners of the globe. Annually in the beginning of August the city of Tampere becomes Finland’s theatre capital as local and international performing arts troupes take over the city’s stages and squares.
Below you will find the contact information of Tampere Theatre Festival office and staff. You will also find a list of the members of the board and the artistic team.
If you are interested in taking part in the festival and you would like to propose a production, please click "how to apply".
The Facts & Figures section includes background information about Tampere Theatre Festival, as well as information about the different programme categories.
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ARTISTIC TEAM
The performances for the Main Programme are always invited to the festival by the artistic team, which currently includes Tanjalotta Räikkä, Taija Helminen and Hilkka-Liisa Iivanainen. The Artistic team is in charge of the festival’s Main programme along with the Executive director Hanna Rosendahl.As of fall 2023, the members of the artistic team have two focuses. Tanjalotta and Taija will focus on selecting the national and international productions for the Main Programme. Hilkka-Liisa will also focus on selecting the international productions for the Main programme, as well as working on the festival’s international strategy development.
Tampere Theatre Festival continues to operate as a presenting festival with very limited possibilities for producing new work. The annual selection of the performances for the Main programme is co-curated by the artistic team. The curatorial choices are based on the festival’s strategy and values, as well as the careful assessment of the artistic, thematic, technical and logistic aspects of the performances.
Hilkka-Liisa IivanainenHilkka-Liisa Iivanainen (born 1980) is a stage director, writer and curator. She is currently working as a theatre director at Tampere Theatre. She has a bachelor's degree in theatre from the Chicago College of Performing Arts (2003) and has graduated as a stage director from the Uniarts Helsinki's Theatre Academy in 2010.
Iivanainen's directorial works are mostly premieres of contemporary dramas and new adaptations of classics. Her works have been performed in various Finnish theatres and festivals, by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), and also internationally, e.g. in The United States and Mexico. During 2015-2018, she was the artistic director of Theatre Jurkka in Helsinki. Iivanainen was awarded an artist's grant for 2017-2021 by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
In 2019, she was the first Finnish person to be chosen as a Fellow in the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) Global Fellowship Program. She has been a member of the jury for the International Ibsen Award since 2019. In addition, Hilkka-Liisa frequently visits international festivals, events and seminars as a speaker and moderator.
Tanjalotta RäikkäTanjalotta Räikkä (born 1962) is a freelance actor, writer and director. During her career, she has worked in several theatres across Finland both as a permanently employed actor and as a guest actor. Räikkä's long career has included involvement in independent groups and projects as well as about 20 movie roles and a great deal of TV and radio work.
She is a founding member and a member of the artistic team of Theatre Telakka, which received the Finnish state prize for performing arts in 2013.
In recent years, Räikkä has worked also as a writer and director. She has taught acting and held positions of responsibility in the theatre field, such as the role as a member of the National Council for Performing Arts.
Räikkä has also participated in international projects and festivals in Germany, Mexico and Estonia among others. In addition to acting, she has sung backing vocals on several artists' albums. Hospital clownery is also very close to her heart.
Taija Helminen
Taija Helminen (born 1984) is a playwright and dramaturge, who has worked multidisciplinarily in the fields of theatre and multi-arts in different positions. She graduated Theatre Academy in 2011, where she studied in the degree programme of dramaturgy. In 2020 she graduated University of Helsinki and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Helminen has studied social policy as a part of her studies in dramaturgy. Her works have several social and political themes.
Helminen worked at Lahti City Theatre as a dramatuge in 2017–2018, but for the most part she has worked as a freelancer. She has dramatized and written pieces, for example, for the Finnish National Theatre, Radioteatteri, Riihimäen Teatteri, Teatteri Avoimet Ovet and Teatteri 2.0.
Photo: Carolin Büttner -
RESPONSIBILITY AT TAMPERE THEATRE FESTIVAL
EQUALITY
Tampere Theatre Festival promotes equality throughout all its operations. This is reflected in the programme choices of the festival as well as in the safer space principles that are followed in everyday operations.
HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION
Tampere Theatre Festival is committed to preventing harassment and discrimination and to following the principles for safer space throughout the festival.
All people are equal. Everyone has the right to enjoy the festival and the experiences provided by the performing arts. We do not tolerate any offensive behaviour or actions that cross someone’s boundaries. No one shall be mistreated on the basis of personal characteristics such as age, gender, sexual orientation, physical traits, functional ability, health condition, wealth, religion, culture or any other assumed background.
We acknowledge that creating a safer and more equal space for all is a constant work in progress. This is why we are committed to working long-term towards achieving safer spaces.
Read more about the principles for safer space here.
ACCESSIBILITYOur goal is to organize our own productions in venues that are fully accessible. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. We are constantly developing our services regarding venue accessibility, and we keep in contact with our collaborators regarding accessibility issues. You can find more details on the accessibility of the Main Programme performance venues on our website. TLab performances all take place at G Livelab Tampere, which is mostly accessible.
This website adheres to the WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines for the most part. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is an international standard for website content accessibility. According to the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019), organizations in Finland are obliged to adhere to A and AA levels of the WCAG 2.1 instructions.
Personal assistants accompanying people with physical or sensory disabilities are entitled to free assistant’s tickets. Assistant’s tickets to the Main Programme and TLab performances can only be booked through the Theatre Festival box office, tel. 03 223 1066.
Tampere Theatre Festival programmes also include events that are free of charge. The festival has also joined the Kaikukortti programme. through which Kaikukortti cardholders can access free tickets to some of the Main Programme shows. The Kaikukortti programme is meant for clients of the municipal social welfare units who are in a tight financial situation. The aim of the programme is to improve the chances of young people, adults and families with financial constraints to take part in cultural and creative activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Tampere Theatre Festival is participating in the environmental management programme Ecocompass to carry out environmental responsibility and to reduce the environmental impact caused by the festival.The festival achieved the Ecocompass environmental certificate in 2022. The certificate is part of the Ecocompass system which is based on the international ISO 14001 Standard and is suitable for all small and medium businesses as well as event organizations. The system is owned by The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto), the oldest and most influential environmental organisation in the country. The Ecocompass certificate can be given to an organization once they have created an environmental programme with the help of the system. The programme has to include objectives and concrete measures to achieve them. The certificate is audited by a third party.
Along with this achievement, Tampere Theatre Festival is committed to continuing its environmental work.
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OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT
As event organizers, we are committed to minimizing the impact of festivals on the environment.Complying with the standards of the EcoCompass environmental management system means we are taking measures such as fine-tuning our logistics and international flight arrangements to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. We express our dedication to the well-being of the planet across our communication outlets, to the media, our partners and to our audiences. By placing emphasis on environmental issues and taking action, we are conveying a positive message to everyone – a message of a better future. The Tampere Theatre Festival is proud to be on the frontline of the Pirkanmaa region arts community, leading the way towards a cleaner, healthier Earth.
Tampere Theatre Festival was granted the EcoCompass environmental certificate during the festival week 2022. The certificate is part of the EcoCompass environmental management system, which has been developed according to the international ISO14001 standard to suit all small and medium-sized enterprises as well as events. The system is owned by the oldest and strongest environmental organization in Finland, The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.
The EcoCompass certificate is granted when an enterprise or association has created with the help of the system an environmental program with goals and measures. The certificate is audited by an external source.
With the granted EcoCompass certificate, Tampere Theatre Festival is committed to continue its work for the environment. The aim is to reduce the strain on the environment caused by the Festival and encourage both the attendees and partners to act in an environmentally friendly way.
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FUTURE LEADERS IN PERFORMING ARTS NETWORK
The Future Leaders in Performing Arts project started in 2022 and ended in August 2023.The Future Leaders in Performing Arts is a new peer-to-peer network for emerging cultural leaders in the performing arts in the Nordic-Baltic regions. The network is built slowly and sustainably through a mentoring process. In the network’s inaugural year, four creative practitioners together with a group of mentors gather to explore and conceive questions and possibilities in updating power structures in the field of theater, dance and performance.
The network recognizes the systemic barriers for participation in leadership roles in societies today. The participants are individually and collectively passionate in carving new pathways, challenging the existing paradigm and promoting new trajectories and paths to positions of agency and leadership.
The participants at Tampere Theatre Festival in 2023. Photo: Carolin Büttner
Network Partners
Tampere Theatre Festival (Finland)
Festspillene i Nord-Norge (Norway)
New Theatre Institute of Latvia / International Festival of Contemporary Theatre, Homo Novus (Latvia)
Teater Grob / Independent stage director and playwright Jesper Pedersen (Denmark)
The Future Leaders in Performing Arts network is supported by the Nordic Culture Point and Operation Pirkanmaa.
