Teatteri Avoimet Ovet in English
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet (Finn. “Open Doors Theatre”) is a professional theatre established in 1998. It is currently located at Erottajankatu 5, Helsinki.
Tickets
Through Lippu.fi
- +358 600 900 900 (2€/starting min.+standard mobile/network rate)
- Mon–Sat 9–21, Sun 10–18
- Lippu.fi
At the Theatre
- At the Theatre (Erottajankatu 5, Helsinki)
- Tues 11–17, Wed-Fri 11–14, and an hour before performances
- +358 9 4342 510
- liput (at) avoimetovet.fi
Contact
Address
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet
Erottajankatu 5, 00130 Helsinki
The theatre office is located at the theatre.
During the season the theatre’s office is generally open from Monday to Friday 10 am – 4 pm. The office is closed in June and July, and during the winter break.
e-mail format: firstname.lastname(at)avoimetovet.fi
Director, Stage director Hanna Kirjavainen
+358 40 531 5138
• theatre direction
• repertoire planning, artistic policy
• own artistic work (playwriting, directing)
• schedules
Producer Salla Hokkanen
+358 9 4342 5113
• financial administration (wages and salaries, invoices, grants, accounting material)
• production
• contracts
• information and marketing
• ticket sales manager
Theater secretary Tiina Vanhanen
+358 9 4342 510 (tue 11 am – 5 pm, wed–fri 11 am – 2 pm)
• manager of the part-time personnel
• group sales, billing
• managing & updating the ticket sales system and the customer database
• assisting the producer in marketing, communications, sales tracking & accounting
Seamstress, Organiser, Bar manager Anne Svensk
+358 9 4342 5112
• bar manager (beverages and snacks served at interval, buffets to order, bar supervisor)
• seamstress, props manager, costume manager
• hairdressing, make-up
• stage set construction, organisation, stage hand
Sound and lighting manager Juha Tuisku
+358 40 567 4966
• lighting and sound design
• light and sound engineering
• head technician
• stage set construction, organisation, stage hand
Facilities & accessibility
135 seats in rising rows, incl. 2 wheelchair spaces
Seating plan
Click to enlarge
a small movable stage, a piano, movable chairs, max. capacity 50 people sitting / 135 people standing, video projector, bar
- The entrance and the foyer are wheelchair accessible. The entrance door needs to be pulled to open, the ticket sales person helps if needed.
- Two wheelchair seats in the theatre hall, sales through the theatre ticket office
- Assistants/carers to persons with disablities enter for free, please notify in advance
- Toilet for people with disabilities located in the foyer next to the bar
- Other gender-neutral bathrooms available as well
- Induction loop inside the theatre hall
More information on accessibility, please contact the ticket office at liput (at) avoimetovet.fi / +358 94342 510
For visiting performers
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet serves as a space for visiting, professionally produced performances.
Rental for private events
The theatre can be rented for a variety of private events, like seminars and film screenings.
The theatre has a bar with alcohol serving rights.
Technical needs and technician services are negotiated case by case.
- Hanna Kirjavainen
- 040 531 5138
- hanna.kirjavainen (at) avoimetovet.fi
Theatre Hall
Includes the use of the foyer
1100 € / 5 hrs
hourly rent 200 €
extra hours 120€ /hr
135 seats
rising rows
Foyer
600 € / 5 hrs
hourly rent 100 €
extra hours 50 € / hr
50 seats
movable chairs
OR 135 people standing
Support association
Teatteri Avoimien Ovien Kannatusyhdistys ry – Teatteri Avoimet Ovet Support Association
Administratively the theatre is run by a support association, which any person or organisation that supports the association’s objectives can join. The association’s purpose is to maintain the activities of Teatteri Avoimet Ovet.
A Board of Directors is elected annually from among the members of the association to manage the affairs of the association, that is to engage staff to run the activities of Teatteri Avoimet Ovet and approve action plans and budgets. The board supervises the theatre’s finances and examines the financial statements and annual report. The support association is a an official registered organisation with a business ID, which can apply for grants, enter into contracts, pay wages and salaries and write invoices.
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet is supported by the City of Helsinki and Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Teatteri Avoimien Ovien Ystävät ry (Friends of Teatteri Avoimet Ovet) and people and organisations who have sponsored a seat in their name.
History
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet was founded in 1994 by actress Liisi Tandefelt to support her own touring activities, which had begun in the 1970s. She toured both in Finland and abroad, and in addition many of her performances were televised. Her search for a permanent stage produced results in 1997, when Tandefelt found the empty bank premises on Museokatu, and Teatteri Avoimet Ovet found a home there. The theatre was modelled on Central European café and tearoom stages, meeting places and cultural clubs. Performances began in Töölö in April 1998. Tandefelt continued to act in addition to her role as stage designer and costume designer in her own theatre, but she also invited many international visitors, from Germany in particular, to Museokatu. The repertoire was strongly biased towards music and literature.
In Liisi Tandefelt’s period as director (1998–2003) many classical concerts were included in the theatre’s repertoire as she had excellent contacts with artists in that field. Poetry also played an important role. During Heini Tola’s directorship (2004–2019) the theatre focused strongly on drama, especially on Finnish plays. Two of the theatre’s own productions are staged every year, and the premieres are followed by some 30 performances of each. In addition the repertoire includes visiting and joint productions. Although classical concerts are no longer on the programme, music still plays an important role, for example tango and song evenings are arranged. Poetry readings and evenings dedicated to specific authors are also organised regularly.
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet has received the following awards: Aesthetic Action of the Year 2000, Theatre of the Year 2009.
Teatteri Avoimet Ovet is a member of the Finnish Theatre Centre association.
Directors
Director Hanna Kirjavainen 2019–
Artistic Director Heini Tola 2004–2019
Theatre director, stage director, dramatist Heini Tola has a Master of Arts degree. She was born in Tampere in 1953.
Founder of the theatre, Director from 1998–2003, Liisi Tandefelt
Actress, stage designer, costume designer Liisi Tandefelt is a trained interior architect and actress. She was born in Hämeenlinna in 1936.
