Theatre Against Stagnation: Theatre Exchanges Between Soviet Estonia and Finland during the Cold War: The case of Matti Tapio and Kaarel Ird

The article examines the theatre exchange between Tampere (Finland) and Tartu (Estonia) which flourished across the Iron Curtain in the midst of the stagnation of the 1970s. The ties were based on the close co-operation of two conservative theatre directors, Matti Tapio (Tampere) and Kaarel Ird (Tartu). The article reveals mutual benefits on several levels of interaction. With Ird teaching the Stanislavsky method, Tapio managed to win favour for his actors' program at the Tampere University. Ird, in his turn, was able to launch guest performances and strengthen the position of his Vanemuine Theatre. As for the Soviet Union, Ird's teaching and guest performances could be seen as an ideologically safe Soviet-Western interaction with economic benefits. Refreshing the pre-war traditions of Estonian-Finnish relations, the mutual guest performances offered a rare possibility for informal interactions. Through confidential dialogue in a mutual spirit of goodwill, professional learning, and a deep understanding of the social realities on the "other side", the possibility of friendly ties across the border was opened up. During the Cold War, theatre exchanges between Estonia and Finland offered a way to promote cultural achievements and strengthen one's self-esteem on personal, institutional, and even national levels.