Theatre Museum’s object collections include materials from the late 19th century to the present day, covering various areas of the performing arts. The collections feature a wide range of theatre, dance, and opera costumes, stage models, and costume and set design sketches. They also include puppet theatre materials, theatre technology, and some older stage pieces. In addition, there are performance accessories and other props. Circus and performance art have been part of the Theatre Museum’s collecting responsibility since 2019, and the collections are gradually expanding in these areas as well.

Inquiries related to the object collections are primarily handled by the Theatre Museum’s information service.

Expanding the collections

The object collections are supplemented through donations from performing arts organisations, industry associations, various professionals in the field, and private individuals.

Since the 1990s, the museum’s goal has been to document entire performances. When expanding the collections, the Theatre Museum emphasizes selectivity; the quantity, quality, and value of items are assessed in advance together with donors. Preserving entire phenomena and the context surrounding the objects is considered more important than individual items. However, sometimes a single object can represent a phenomenon.

Donations