Theater | Those who worked on the performances of the new Iloisen Theater were left without remuneration, the operation of the traditional revue theater may end: “Everything that was tried failed”

Especially from their spring coats the financial difficulties of the well-known UIT, i.e. the New Happy Theater, have deepened.

After a three-year hiatus, a revue was seen in Helsinki in the spring From winter to summerwhose critic of HS described going traditionally but with bumps. According to HS’s information, those who were involved in the production are left with wage receivables, which they are trying to collect either through Palkkaturva or debt collection.

As a composer and as a conductor From winter to summer -revy worked Robert Löflund is one of those left without the agreed rewards.

“In my case, this happened so that in 2021 we started training at Peacock Double or Swim – revue. Then the corona came, we couldn’t perform, but we got to Nilsiä to do some shows.”

UIT had started summer theater activities before the corona era, and in the summer of 2021 performances could be organized at the Nilsiä Quarry Arena in Pohjois-Savo From Double and Uit mixed Beautiful Veera – from the musical play.

When Löflund’s fee should have been paid, the theater manager announced Timo Kärkkäinen, that you can’t afford to pay the bill. Löflund says that he waited and agreed on a payment arrangement in the fall of 2021.

“One batch arrived.”

In the spring of 2022, Kärkkäinen assured that the old debts would be paid during the spring, and Löflund went along From winter to summer -revity.

“I waited calmly, spring was coming to an end. Then it started that more payment time was requested for old invoices and new ones.”

Löflund says that he stopped the collection process at the request, but continued it when the promised payment did not come even at the end of June.

Fast forward in the summer of 2022, the new theater company UIT Finland founded in 2020 At Tukkijoki– performance in Nilsiä. Löflund says that Kärkkäinen promised to pay the debts with its income.

“The 29th. In July, the working group received a notification that the salaries should be applied for from Palkkaturva. On August 5, Timo informed me that HMT will be filed for bankruptcy and that I can apply for my claims from the bankruptcy estate.”

At least until Wednesday, August 17, the bankruptcy application had not been submitted to the Helsinki District Court.

In the “Kiurušta käus” revue an opera singer also performed Petri Bäckström. representing Bäckström Hannele Eklundin the story corresponds to Löflund’s story. Deferred payments and a jointly agreed payment plan for which a couple of small installments were paid.

“What has been extremely unpleasant here is that the impression is constantly being given that the money is coming from somewhere. An image has also been created that the attitude towards the agreements made is, to say the least, vague,” says Eklund.

Eklund collects receivables through a collection agency. He says that he has also been in contact with Palkkaturva.

“I was in contact there to find out what the position of the artist I represent is in this situation. However, is it about an employment relationship, when quite a lot of the signs of an employment relationship are fulfilled: we work according to the client’s schedule, under the guidance, with work tools, in the space. There is certainly plenty of work for lawyers to do here.”

Eklund says that the fact that Timo Kärkkäinen founded UIT Finland already in the spring of 2020 has also raised his “hair on the back of his neck”.

“It would be interesting to know why the support of the Ministry of Labor and Economy has not been applied for. The question arises as to whether things have been handled carelessly or whether there is something in the management of the economy such that there were no prerequisites for applying for support.”

The State Treasury confirms that Hakaniemi Music Theater has not applied for cost support, closure compensation or event guarantee due to losses caused by the corona pandemic.

Hannele Eklund says that he has also been disturbed by how “seemingly we are one big family and friend, and Kärkkäin is giving instructions on what all needs to be submitted to Palkkaturva”.

“When UIT is such a wonderful concept and has such a great history, it is clear that you would like to believe that the theater will do its job. That’s why there is such a big lump of great disappointment here – and also justifiable rage.”

Call round for others From winter to summer tells those who participated in the production of the revue that the actors, screenwriters and the rest of the production team are still waiting for their rewards. In the comments of this group, too, there is a repetition of disappointment at promises that have been broken again and again.

SWIM was founded in 1978. The founding members of the theater were Marjatta Leppänen, Matti Kuusla, Lasse Mårtenson, Jaakko Salo and Jukka Virtanen.

The original UIT filed for bankruptcy in 2010, and Hakaniemen Musiikkiteatteri Oy was founded to continue its operations, whose owners included, among others Timo Kärkkäinen, Seppo Ahti and Taneli Mäkelä.

According to information from the trade register, the company’s board members are currently Seppo Ahti, Arto Alaspää, Sanna Näsi and Sari Siikander. Reached on Thursday afternoon, Alaspää says that Sanna Näsi has resigned from the board.

In 2018, the turnover of Hakaniemi Music Theater was 1.7 million and the profit was 82,000 euros. The following year, the turnover was 1.3 million, and the loss was 190,000 euros. In 2020, the turnover for January–August was 40,000, the loss was 150,000. In 2021, the turnover was 430,000 and the loss was 269,000.

UIT Finland, founded in 2020, made a break-even result in the 2020–2021 season with a turnover of 365,000.

Seppo Ahti, who was part of UIT’s original script team, says that as a member of the board, he was aware of the problems, but left their management to Timo Kärkkäinen. Regarding salary payment problems, he says that he saw some e-mails, but preferred to ignore them because “they made me feel so bad”.

According to Ahti, the problems started in the first corona spring of 2020, when Peacock had to come to the premiere Double or Swim – revue, which had to be moved

a year ahead

. The revue was finally performed in Nilsiä in the summer of 2021.

In the summer of 2021, UIT also performed Nilsiä at Louhosareena Kaunis Veera performancebut compared to normal years, according to Ahti, the number of viewers remained low.

“It felt like everything that was tried was backfired.”

What Ahti knows about the current situation of Hakaniemi Music Theater is that no bankruptcy application has been filed.

“Mostly I have cursed myself and the financial losses that have occurred here. I’m actually involved because I started this with Jaakko Salo and others, so I haven’t dared to leave.”

“Three corona years the raven race has come to an end,” says theater director Timo Kärkkäinen at the beginning of the interview and continues that UIT, as a theater operating entirely at the box office, has not had the guts to survive the corona.

“There hasn’t been much help.”

According to Kärkkäinen, support of 50,000 euros was received from the city of Helsinki, and a third of the requested 600,000 euros from the Ministry of Education and Culture.

“Our position as a professional theater is unbearable compared to other professional theaters in that we are the only one that operates with income financing. Of course, it has been chosen, it is a vocation to maintain a high-level revue tradition.”

Cost support has not been requested from the State Treasury because, according to Kärkkäinen, the company was not entitled to it. “The problem with that was that we ourselves borrowed the theater when we couldn’t afford to invest. Since the theater’s own capital had been consumed, they were not eligible to apply for that grant.”

Current situation according to Kärkkäinen, seems to be an inevitable bankruptcy. A meeting has been arranged with the government for Friday next week, he says.

“We have to raise our hands if a miracle doesn’t happen. Here is our life’s work coming to an end.”

The Hakaniemi Music Theater, which continued under the name of the original UIT, which went bankrupt in 2010, has previously been close to bankruptcy at least in April 2020, at that time of unpaid ones because of pension payments.

According to Kärkkäinen, it is very unfortunate that employees and sellers of purchasing services are the victims.

However, he absolutely denies intentional misleading. Kärkkäinen says that in January 2022, as a result of careful consideration, it was decided to make a spring revue, despite previous debts. One thing that affected was the tickets sold in previous years, which the public had agreed to pass on.

“We set the goal of 10,000 viewers, which is a very modest goal for Peacock – where in a normal year there have been up to 22,000 viewers. It would have covered the production and paid the debts as well.”

Tickets From winter to summer However, only 5,000 were sold in the revue.

Regarding the disappointment of the working group members, Kärkkäinen says he is “extremely sorry”.

“During the last two and a half years, I have had to learn to eat my words. Undoubtedly, it does not inspire confidence. I have not intentionally misled anyone, not even myself.”

Kärkkäinen says that UIT Finland, founded in the spring of 2020, is part of UIT as a whole. “When Corona started, the most important word was business development and finding new business models.”

Summer theater productions made in the provinces were taken under UIT Finland and educational activities began to be developed.

Hakaniemeni Musiikkiteatteri and UIT Finland are separate limited companies, but according to Kärkkäinen, the intention was that UIT Finland’s profits would support Hakaniemeni Musiikkiteatteri.

“The musical theater was the one that produces the Peacock revue.”

If Hakaniemi Music Theater is filed for bankruptcy, what will happen to UIT’s name and brand?

“I can’t really answer. UIT Finland is not the kind of thing that puts the Hakaniemi Music Theater into bankruptcy and continues with this. Not at all, they are so closely connected. It may very well be that UIT’s operations will end completely.”

The Mieliteko interaction training currently underway in Pohjois Savo will be completed in the fall, but:

“Now it doesn’t seem terribly likely that the theater will continue.”