From 25–28 September 2025, the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden highlights Scandinavian and Baltic playwriting. For the Estonian Drama Theatre, it is an excellent opportunity to present our theatre and contemporary dramaturgy at Scandinavia’s largest cultural event.
Creators associated with the Estonian Drama Theatre will take part in several discussions and presentations. The programme features nearly 15 events with Estonian participation, and up to 1,000 international theatre professionals are expected to attend.
On the opening day, Tiit Ojasoo, Maria Metsalu and Paavo Piik will discuss the position of Estonian theatre in a European context. Piret Jaaks will chair a conversation on the female perspective in playwriting. Andra Teede joins a panel of Baltic women playwrights and participates in the Finnish Theatre Information Centre’s session “Writing Tips from Generation Y”. The day concludes with Paavo Piik, Siret Campbell and Mehis Pihla in “Estonian Playwriting – Between Worlds”, exploring the creative starting points of today’s Estonian dramatists.
On Saturday, 27 September, Mari-Liis Lill and Priit Põldma open the day with a discussion rooted in documentary theatre: can playwriting change us, and how? At the fair’s initiative, Mehis Pihla’s play Rahamaa (Business as Usual) will be presented with a video excerpt from the production, followed by a conversation on money laundering and banking ethics. In the discussion “(Un)Sacred Text”, director Johan Elm shares his view of a text’s journey from page to stage, and Karin Allik joins a conversation among Scandinavian theatre critics.
On Sunday, 28 September, one of the themes is the international circulation of plays across the Nordic and Baltic countries, with the Estonian perspective provided by Siret Campbell.
The theme is organised by Colombine Teaterförlag (Sweden), Dramatikkens hus (Norway), Estonian Theatre Agency, Theatre Info Finland (TINFO) and Gothenburg Book Fair, in collaboration with Latvian Theatre Workers Union and Lithuanian Theatre Information Centre with additional support from Danske Dramatikere (Denmark) and Performing Arts Iceland. The presentation of Estonian playwriting at the Gothenburg Book Fair is supported by the Ministry of Culture. The Estonian Theatre Agency’s partners in introducing Estonian theatre are the Estonian Directors and Dramatists’ Association and the Estonian Drama Theatre.