Miko Jaakkola to Lead Kotka City Theatre in December 2026

Kotka City Theatre announced via ePressi that Miko Jaakkola will return to lead the theatre in December 2026, leaving his post as artistic director of Tampereen Työväen Teatteri.

He said he leaves with mixed feelings, calling the move a personal homecoming: Kotka has remained his hometown and returning to its theatre "feels like coming home." He emphasised the need to defend Finland’s regional theatre network so performances remain accessible outside the major growth centres.

Since taking the helm in autumn 2024, Jaakkola oversaw a rise in audience numbers. Ticket occupancy reached about 90 percent this season; last year the theatre welcomed roughly 150,000 visitors, and 2025 featured 19 premieres — 16 of them world premieres — across multiple stages.

Programming work already extends to 2028. Artistic planning will now shift to dramaturg and professor Hanna Suutela, who has been the theatre's dramaturg since 2019 and served as acting artistic director in 2023–2024. The change will not affect the current season’s programme or previously made programming decisions.

Managing director Janne Auvinen thanked Jaakkola for laying a strong foundation and said the organisation respects his decision. Recruitment for a new artistic director will begin immediately and be handled calmly and deliberately. Actor Maiju Saarinen praised Jaakkola’s direction in Helene as "profound, breathing and artistically rewarding" and wished him well in his new role.