Literary Meeting: Visiting Merle Karusoo

Eesti Raamat Year literary meetings continue at the Koidula Museum. 

On Wednesday, March 26th at 18:00, MERLE KARUSOO will be visiting.

Merle Karusoo is an alumna of the Theater Academy's 7th class, who began working as a lecturer at the Theater Academy immediately after graduation in 1976 and has worked there intermittently since. She has directed in almost all Estonian theaters.

From 1987 to 1998, Merle was the head of the memory department at the Pirgu Development Center. At the initiative of Karusoo, the center started collecting life stories of Estonians – this has continued for decades after the center's activities ended. Memory is indeed the core of Merle's activities. She is the mother of Estonian memory theater, biographical theater, and documentary theater. Her productions based on life stories have often dealt with sensitive topics and given a voice to people operating on the fringes of society. Through her activities, she has influenced a whole generation of younger theater makers who follow her working methods and ethics.

Already 25 years ago, she started a project intertwining time and biography called "Who am I" and continues with it to this day, working with various groups (for example, Estonian language teachers in Ida-Virumaa, students at EMTA and TÜVKA, among others). "Who am I" always ends with a presentation. Merle states that she "reveals life stories" and "our untold stories fester into poison".

In addition, she is the best introducer and carrier of her teacher, the founder of the Theater Academy Voldemar Panso's pedagogy. She has published a book "What Voldemar Panso Has Taught" (1980) and a two-volume work "Panso 100: as much as you gave to the dog..." (2020). Her documentary theater texts are collected in a comprehensive compendium "When Spaces Are Full" (2008).

Merle has been awarded the Estonian Republic's Cultural Prize (1998), the Order of the White Star, 4th class (2001), the national culture lifetime achievement award (2018), the University of Tartu's National Thought Award (2023), and several theater and playwriting awards.

The number of places is limited!

A limited number (30 pcs) of 8€ tickets are available in advance (both on Fienta, on the museum's website, and at the Koidula Museum cash desk).
On the same day before the event, the ticket on site is 10€.

The literary meetings are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.