Other women directors of the same generation include Laura J ntti, who probes the human psyche, Eija-Elina Bergholm , who studies the role of visual expression, and Katariina Lahti , who has built up her reputation largely in Germany. Towards the end of the 1980s, Turkka's disciple Jussi Parviainen wrote and directed a series of controversial tragedies filled with the angst of the modern young man and crises between the sexes. Esa Kirkkopelto , too, acknowledges Turkka's influence although, to the uninitiated, his directions empowered with musical and visual images display an exceptionally personal view. P arviainen's and Kirkkopelto's careers as directors and playwrights reflect the Finnish theatre of the past decade, in which the significance of the word is still dominant, although reinforced with a new, more physical element. T he links between playwrights and the theatre have become tighter, partly as a result of the teaching at the Theatre Academy of Finland.
Young writers work in close cooperation with the theatres.
T he radicals of the 1960s were concerned about children, too, and sought to give them something more than the traditional Christmas-holiday plays. The interest of young directors such as Otso Kautto and Leena Havukainen in children's plays has reinforced this mode of theatrical expression. Finnish summer abounds with cultural events, including outdoor theatre performances. Neither rain nor mosquitoes can keep audiences away from the many outdoor theatres, and the occasional attempts to transfer productions indoors have failed dismally. Until recently, repertoires have been dominated by folk plays and comedies.