History

The Finnish Dramatists' Union, Suomen Näytelmäkirjailijaliito, abbreiviated SUNKLO, arose through unanimous decision by a gathering of Finnish playwrights on the 3rd of February 1921. The Union initiated an immediate and energetic campaign to protect performing rights, which for many years had suffered a litany of gross infringements. The authors were concerned both about their ability to make a living and wished to promote domestic playwriting and raise the status of dramatic works.
The Finns in the 1920's were a people divided by the aftermath of civil war and in need of strong advocates for unification and reconciliation. Experienced writers piloted The Finnish Dramatists' Union: Kaarle Halme from Satakunda was the chairman of the board while the East Bothnian, Artturi Järvilouma, acted as secretary. Both men were established and experienced writers with a gift for language.
The first board of directors personally undersigned the bank loans needed to fund the fledgling organization. Thus they were able to outfit an office that began to offer plays for production and to guard the economic interests of members. They also needed money for printing costs and to create a network of author representatives. The Union's ability to collect royalty payments improved when, after a long period of preparation, the government passed the new copyright law of 1927.
The Dramatists' Union, already in the year of its establishment, gave theatre life in Finland a needed boost. Small but important accomplishments were realized: the offices first telephone in 1924 or five years later, the acquisition of an adding machine. In 1931 the Union was able to grant its very first stipend from funds acquired via The National Lottery. In 1934 the Union negotiated for its members, an advantageous contract with the Finnish National Radio, established in 1926.
The war years cast a long shadow over the Union's operations and its members' ability to make a living, but already in 1948 as many as 328 plays by Finnish writers were produced in the country.
In 1952, the desperately needed space for the office and its three employees was found on Estnäsgatan. The workload had been increasing and negotiations becoming more complicated, not in the least due to the introduction of television.
The basic services provided haven't changed all that much over the years. Looking after the member's benefits (stipends, awards, pensions and copyright laws) led increasingly to contacts with other artist's organizations and public institutions. Cooperation with sister organizations in the other Nordic countries also has a long tradition.
A national grant awarded to every domestic play professionally produced in Finland was initially proposed by the Union and replaced the government playwright award. Beginning n 1975, an honorary title was bestowed on the theatre that produced the greatest number of original works by Finnish playwrights during the theatre season. Since 1985, the Lea Prize has been awarded to writers of merit.
The Finnish theatre and its audience rely to a great degree on the production of Finnish plays and the status of domestic playwriting remains high. As international influences increase, the Finnish Dramatists' Union takes on an important role as a guardian of the Finnish language. Drama is one of literature's main branches and is in the vanguard of language development.
The Finnish Dramatists' Union highest decision making body is its board of directors composed of ten writers, and members congress which is convened once a year. The board accepts members into the Union base on formal application.
Arto Seppälä