Endla Theater House Celebrates 100th Birthday
The building of the Endla Theater in Pärnu celebrated its 100th anniversary on October 23.
In 1921, the theater house was first opened to the public with the drama "Libahunt" (Werewolf) by the Estonian writer August Kitzberg.
The nation's first Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on the balcony of the Endla Theater on February 23, 1918. As it was an important symbol of Estonian independence, the Soviet authorities opted not to restore the building after it was gutted by fire in 1944, but instead demolish it with explosives. The new theater was erected at a new site in 1967.
In celebration of the anniversary, playwright Triinu Ojalo released a book of 100 most memorable plays performed at the Endla. The undertaking was quite difficult and took a whole year to complete, said Olajo on ETV. "Endla has had over 1,000 productions and picking out the [best] was quite a challenging task," she said.
The Endla Society that commissioned the theatre building a century ago will celebrate its 135th birthday in 2013.
Ingrid Teesalu