Lahti City Theater has a rich autumn program – theater director Ilkka Laasonen is already saying goodbye on stage

There are no less than six premieres at the Lahti city theater in the fall. One of them is the last direction of Ilkka Laasonen, who led the theater for a long time, before retiring.

He says that inquiries about suitable candidates have already been made. There have also been a few inquiries. The new director will start one year from now in August.

Laasonen is responsible for this autumn’s, next spring’s and mainly autumn 2023’s program as well. The background is for practical reasons.

– If the director selection is now moved to the end of autumn, especially in the planning of large productions, we would be in trouble in the fall of next year, Laasonen states.

Six premieres and visits

The autumn performance season of the City Theater starts next week.

Part of the software was moved forward in the spring due to corona restrictions. There are six premieres, the performance calendar is tight and all the theater’s stages are in use.

– We also got our own production for studio stage Aino after a long time, Ilkka Laasonen is happy.

Choreographer Jyri Numminen looks at the camera wearing a blue sweater.  Behind the stage, a yellow light pole.
Jyri Numminen is a graduate of Lahti University of Applied Sciences’ musical theater line, which was discontinued in 2016.

Next year it will be 40 years since the Lahti City Theater was commissioned. The building has recently been extensively renovated. In addition to the renovation of the exterior, extensive renovations have been made to the Eero stage.

More renovations will be done in the coming years. Among other things, there is a fundamental repair ahead, i.e. water pipe and drainage works.

– Naturally, inspections must be carried out. The Aino and Eero stages and the facade are starting to be tiptop. The house is otherwise in good condition, says Laasonen.

The Lahti City Theater, a gray and large concrete building, in the foreground of cobblestones and street lamps with round lamps.
The Lahti City Theater was inaugurated in 1983. The theater house has three stages: the large stage Juhani, the small stage Eero and the studio stage Aino.

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