Estonian Tallinn Academic Theater

(full name, V. Kingissepp Tallinn Academic Drama Theater), founded in 1916 by several actors of the Vanemuine Theater, notably A. Teetsov, O. Teetsov, A. Markus, A. Sunne, and E. Turk. Operating as a drama theater under a succession of different names from 1918, it was named the Tallinn Drama Theater in 1949. In 1952 it was named in honor of V. Kingissepp, and in 1957 it was designated an academic theater.

Among the theater’s most successful productions have been Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra (1955), Rannet’s Conscience (1956), Brecht’s Master Puntila and His Man Matti (1958), Tammsaare’s Bankruptcy (1964), Smuul’s The Colonel’s Widow (1966), Vetemaa’s The Rose Garden (1976), and German’s Minutes of One Meeting (1976).

In 1977 the company included People’s Artists of the USSR A. Talvi, K. Karm, and J. Järvet, People’s Artists of the Estonian SSR E. Koppel, E. Liiger, V. Otsus, S. Reek, and I. Ever, and Honored Artists of the Estonian SSR T. Aav, A. Jōgi, M. Klooren, A. Orav, A. Mering, and M. Sööt. Honored Artist of the Estonian SSR M. Mikiver was appointed principal stage director in 1976.

The theater was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1966.

K. HAAN