Sold-out hits at Tampereen Työväen Teatteri limit space for new productions

Sold-out runs of two long-running shows are crowding out new productions at Tampereen Työväen Teatteri this season.

Kärpäset and the Riku Suokas-directed musical Vuonna 85 Reunion have kept filling seats, even after Vuonna 85 Reunion was moved from the 389-seat Eino Salmelainen stage to the larger 818-seat main stage. The move was announced in May when the theatre said Vuonna 85 Reunion would play the main stage later in the autumn. Seven November–December performances are already sold out apart from a few single seats, leaving newer titles struggling to build an audience, Aamulehti reports.

CEO Janne Auvinen says the bottleneck is logistical. Many performers are guest artists with other commitments, so aligning schedules is "an incredible puzzle." He cited clashes with Ilves hockey fixtures and the constant touring of stars such as Martti Suosalo and Aimo Räsänen. Petra Ahola currently has shows at Tampereen Komediateatteri, and Auvinen says the theatre is offering as many performances as possible.

Other issues have eased. Esko Roine’s earlier scheduling conflicts limited performances of the dementia drama Isä, but tickets are now widely available and Roine will give his final performance on 7 November. Kärpäset has also sold out at Helsinki’s National Theatre (400 seats) and will tour to Turku, Kuopio, Lahti and Vaasa next spring. The play has been translated into English and Swedish. TTT’s 125th-anniversary premiere Käräjät, opening 29 October on the main stage with 14 actors, still has tickets available.