Theatre belongs to everyone, not just the cultural elite

Lahti’s long-standing reputation as a high-calibre theatre city is being unfairly reduced to a stereotype of cultural elitism, argues local journalist Marjo Pirilä in an analysis for Yle.

A recent narrative, amplified by Helsingin Sanomat, portrays Helsinki’s cultural elite descending on Lahti to appreciate sophisticated theatre that locals supposedly reject—preferring cheap circus entertainment instead. This framing ignores the city’s deep theatrical tradition, Pirilä writes.

The debate flared after Yle reported that some local politicians sought to influence the programming of Lahti City Theatre. Critics have dismissed the industrial city, struggling with unemployment and lacking a traditional university, as a provincial backwater resistant to artistic ambition.

Yet Lahti’s imposing concrete theatre building, completed in 1983, stands as proof of the city’s commitment to the arts. “If Lahti were the culturally backward place it’s made out to be, it wouldn’t have a massive structure dedicated solely to theatre,” Pirilä notes.

She rejects the idea that high art is only understood in the capital. The issue, she argues, is not the audience’s capacity but how theatre is marketed to Lahti’s taxpayers—as if artistic merit were the exclusive domain of Helsinki’s elite.

Pirilä recounts decades of memorable productions at Lahti City Theatre, from The Story of a Horse and Don Quixote to Spring Awakening and The Wild Duck. Beyond the municipal stage, the city hosts Theatre Vanha Juko, the Folk High School’s theatre programme, Theatre School Timotei, Saturday Stage, and Youth Theatre.

Financial struggles have long plagued the institution. Former director Maarit Pyökäri (2007–2013) warned that inadequate funding made it impossible to sustain a large theatre; during her tenure, 80,000 annual attendees included 10,000 from Helsinki. The 2000s saw grand musicals produced in collaboration with a now-defunct university programme that trained young performers.

Current director Lauri Maijala has emphasised theatre’s role as a public good, though economic pressures persist—especially with looming renovations to the theatre building. Pirilä argues that Lahti’s audiences have embraced countless productions over the years, from spectacles to intimate dramas, both domestic and international.

“The theatre itself is a landmark,” she writes. “Beneath its brutalist exterior lies a space where Lahti’s residents have found enlightenment, entertainment, and food for thought—while also drawing outsiders to the city as a cultural destination.”

She concedes that local politicians’ failure to recognise theatre’s value as an investment in urban appeal is “foolish, even provincial.” In an era where cities compete for cultural cachet, Lahti’s theatre remains a unique asset.