Turku City Theatre
Turku City Theatre is a repertoire theatre owned by the city of Turku. The theatre is located in the center of the city, by the Aura river.
The theatre employs roughly 150-200 people. Turku City Theatre produces 5-10 premieres annually, as well as hosting a vast number of visiting performances. About 400 performances take place in the theatre each year. We are visited by approximately 140 000 theatregoers each year. The theatre building also hosts public events and space is available for rent but event organisers when possible.
What is a city theatre?
City theatres are professional theatres financed by the city in which they are located. Turku City Theatre is the oldest fully municipal theatre in Finland, founded in 1946. Prior to the establishment of city theatres in Finland, most cities housed two theatres: a bourgeois theatre and a working class theatre. Many of these theatres faced financial difficulties, leading to discussion about unification in many cities after the Second World War. The establishment of a unified city theatre in Turku was hastened by a fire in the Turku working class theatre, which destroyed most of the building. Turku City Theatre is financed by the city of Turku and by the Finnish government. The city theatres in Finland play an important role in telling local stories, sustaining theatre as an art form and making sure citizens have access to the arts.
