Introduction

Reprises. Reprises is a database that includes information about opera, operetta, vaudeville, and other forms of music theatre performances in Finland. The main sources have been theatre posters, repertoire books, and newspaper advertisements (see Sources). In many cases the performance information remains incomplete; typically, not all performers are identified, and only seldom is there explicit information about the conductor, stage director, or scenographer.

Scope. Presently, the Reprises database covers the performances of the Finnish Opera Company (ca. 1873–79), the Russian Theatre in Helsinki (1868–71), the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki (1860–1961), and  music theatre performances in Turku Playhouse (1839–1897). See Performance venues for further information about performance locations. The eventual aim is to include all opera and music theatre performances that took place in Finland before 1960 except for those given by the Finnish National Opera (see http://encore.opera.fi), including also appearances made by visiting theatre troupes in Finnish cities. The Reprises database is being continuously updated. 

Languages. The operative languages of the Reprises database are Finnish and English. The language(s) of the performances, which was mainly Finnish, Swedish or Russian, have been indicated in the respective records. For Russian transliteration the ALA-LC Romanization Tables have been used, with diacritical marks omitted. Although dating in the Russian theatre posters follows the Julian calendar, dates of performances in the database have been standardized according to the Gregorian calendar; in the 19th century the Julian date was twelve days later than the Gregorian.

Funding. The database is housed in the Sibelius Academy (the University of the Arts), and has received financial support from two research projects: 1) "The Finnish Opera Company (1873–79) from a Microhistorical Perspective: Performance Practices, Multiple Narrations, and Polyphony of Voices" (Academy of Finland, 2010–13); and 2) "Opera on the Move: Transnational Practices and Touring Artists in the Long 19th Century" (NordCorp/NOS-HS 2013–17).