Theatres

Vanemuine is the oldest theatre in Estonia, founded in Tartu in 1870 and is the only three-genre theatre in the region, staging music theatre (operas, operettas and musicals), dance theatre (classical ballet and modern dance) and drama.

The theatre has three different buildings and employs close to 400 people, including a ballet troupe with a highly international cast, and a large symphony orchestra. Vanemuine is a repertory theatre – every season the programme includes more than 40 different productions in a variety of genres, including around 15 premieres every season.

The ballet director of Vanemuine is Mare Tommingas. The artistic director and chief conductor of the music company is Risto Joost. The drama director is Tiit Palu. Since 2019 the general manager is Kristiina Alliksaar.