Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr.

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Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr.
Born (1986-11-17) November 17, 1986 (age 38)

Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr. (also known as Hendrik Toompere Jr; born 17 November 1986) is an Estonian director and actor. [1] He is known for his productions at the Estonian Drama Theatre. Since 2018, he has been the artistic director of the Estonian Drama Theatre. His work as artistic director earned him in 2024 a special award at the Estonian Theatre Awards for developing a risk-taking, socially engaged, and diverse repertoire. [2]

Contents

Life and career

Toompere Jr Jr was born in Tallinn, Estonia. In 2006, he graduated from Tallinn Secondary School of Science. In 2010, he graduated from the Theatre Department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a degree in acting. Since 2010, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Estonian Drama Theatre. Besides theatrical roles, he has also played in several films. [1] Since 2010, he has been a member of the Estonian Theatre Union and the Estonian Actors’ Association, and since 2012, a member of the Estonian Directors and Dramaturgs Union. [3]

His directorial debut was Rodolf Sirera’s The Audition, staged under the title Marquis d’Artiste (2011). In 2013, he directed Davide Carnevali’s Variations on the Kraepelin Model (Variazioni sul modello di Kraepelin).

His production of Marius Ivaškevičius’ Expulsion ( Išvarymas ) was a breakthrough, earning wide acclaim from both audiences and critics. [4] [5] For this production, he received the Best Director award at the 2017 Estonian Theatre Awards, and Nikolai Bentsler won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Expulsion. [6]

Forest Forte (2018) marked his first collaboration with dramaturg Mehis Pihla. Their partnership continued as Toompere Jr Jr directed Pihla’s plays Business as Usual (2024) and Once Upon a Time in Lebanon (2025).

Business as Usual (Rahamaa, 2024) is inspired by the money-laundering scandals that rocked Estonia’s and Scandinavian banking sector. Told from the perspective of a young man from a modest background who lands a job at a Scandinavian bank’s Tallinn branch—where many clients are oligarchs from Russia and beyond—the play explores how illicit finance has shaped Western politics for decades and why it is so difficult to abandon dirty money. [7] The production won multiple honors at the 2025 Estonian Theatre Awards, including Best Play (Mehis Pihla), Best Actor (Tõnis Niinemets), Best Supporting Actor (Taavi Teplenkov), Best Original Music in a Drama Performance (Maria Faust), and Best Sound Design (Lauri Kaldoja). [8] The production has been so popular that demand for tickets has caused a stir among audiences. [9] [10] The play depicts the Danske Bank money-laundering scandal that came to light after revelations by the Danish daily Berlingske in 2017–2018. It is said to tell a larger story—not only about the case itself, but about its impact on society—arguing that the effects in Estonia have been much deeper than in Denmark. While the scandal has amounted to a kind of national trauma in Estonia, in Denmark it has largely been treated as a legal and communications issue. [11]

In 2025 Toompere jr directed another play by Lithuanian dramaturg Marius Ivaškevičius. Ivaškevičius' Totalitarian Romance examines state violence and cultural erasure through the Central Asian myth of the mankurt—a person stripped of memory to ensure obedience. Drawing on the author’s conversations with a contemporary Tajik director whose production Mankurt was banned in 2022 (with one actor later imprisoned), the work juxtaposes memories of life in the USSR with the practices of present-day post-Soviet dictatorships. It explores the impact of Soviet and current authoritarian rule on Tajik language and culture, and interweaves this dialogue with the fate of Mikhail Bulgakov—including his late-life play praising Stalin—and with figures from The Master and Margarita to depict the tragedies of artists caught under political power. [12]

In 2025 Toompere Jr Jr directed Mehis Pihla's play Once Upon a Time in Lebanon. Once Upon a Time in Lebanon is inspired by real events surrounding a hostage crisis involving Estonian citizens in Lebanon in 2011. The play is based on the television series script Trading Life (produced by Ove Musting, Mehis Pihla, and Siret Campbell) and Tiit Pruuli’s book Antiliibanon 2011 (Anti-Lebanon 2011). [13] The production has been highly popular with audiences, with all performances sold out. Although the story is familiar, Toompere Jr and his collaborators stage it with thriller-like tension, keeping the next twist persistently unpredictable. [14]

Personal life

Toompere Jr Jr is the son of actor and director Hendrik Toompere Jr (also known as Hendrik Toompere); his grandparents were actors Hendrik Toompere Sr and Maie Toompere (née Kruusenberg); his aunt is actress Harriet Toompere; and his great-grandfather was wrestler Herman Kruusenberg. [15]

Productions and roles in the Estonian Drama Theatre

Productions
YearAuthorTitle (in Estonian)Title (in English)Notes
2011 Rodolf Sirera Marquis d’ArtisteThe Audition
2013 Davide Carnevali Kraepelini variatsioonidVariations on Kraepelin's Model
2016Marius IvaškevičiusVäljaheitmine ehk Ühe õuna kroonikaExpulsion, or The Chronicle Of An Apple
2018Mehis PihlaMetsa forteForest Forteco-production with Nargenfestival
2018 Ivan Vyrypaev PäikesetriipLine of the Sun
2019 Lee Hall Võrk Network
2020 Stefano Massini Lehman Brothers The Lehman Trilogy
2022 Urmas Vadi Tund enne päikesetõusuAn Hour Before Sunrise
2022devised by the ensembleCafé ThéâtralCafé Théâtralco-director and actor
2024Mehis PihlaRahamaaBusiness as Usual
2024Marius IvaškevičiusTotalitaarne romaanTotalitarian Romanceco-production with Vaba Lava
2025Mehis PihlaÜkskord LiibanonisOnce Upon a Time in Lebanon
Roles
YearDirectorAuthorTitle (in Estonian)Title (in English)Role
2008 Hendrik Toompere Jr Nikolai Jevreinov Kõige tähtsamThe Most ImportantComedian
2010Hendrik Toompere Jr Anton Chekhov Kirsiaed The Cherry Orchard Yasha
2010 Ingomar Vihmar Mika Keränen Varastatud oranž jalgratasStolen Orange BicyclePoliceman Lippus
2011 Ingo Normet Ernest Hemingway Viies kolonn The Fifth Column 1st soldier
2012Hendrik Toompere Jr Anton Chekhov Kolm õde Three Sisters Nikolaj Lvovich Tuzenbach
2012 Mladen Kiselov David Edgar Nelipühad Pentecost
2012 Priit Pedajas Halldór Laxness Islandi kell Iceland's Bell Norwegian police chief; Jón Jónsson; vagabond
2012 Uku Uusberg Andrus Kivirähk Kevadine LutsSpring LutsPeeter Arusk
2014Priit Pedajas Madis Kõiv KeskmängustrateegiaMiddlegame StrategyYoung man
2015Hendrik Toompere Jr Fyodor Dostoevsky Vennad Karamazovid The Brothers Karamazov Dmitri Karamazov
2015 Juhan Ulfsak Michel Houellebecq Kaart ja territoorium The Map and the Territory Jed Martin
2016Georg Malvius Lee Hall, Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard Armunud Shakespeare Shakespeare in Love Boatman
2017Hendrik Toompere JrHendrik Toompere JrÜle piiriAcross the BorderRaul
2018Kertu Moppel Maxim Gorky Väikekodanlased The Philistines Nil
2018Hendrik Toompere Jr JrMehis PihlaMetsa forteForest Forteparticipant
2021 Kertu Moppel Klaus Mann Mefisto Mephisto Otto Ulrichs
2022Hendrik Toompere Jr Jr Urmas Vadi Tund enne päikesetõusuAn Hour Before SunriseKaspar
2022Hendrik Toompere Jr Jr, Karmo Nigula devised by the ensembleCafé ThéâtralCafé Théâtralparticipant

Selected filmography

Film
YearTitle (in Estonian)Title (in English)RoleNotes
2002PääsemineEscapeCriminal in the car
2008Mehele parimBest for the ManHendrik "Heins"Student film
2011LeipzigisseOff to LeipzigKarlStudent film
2012Seenelkäik Mushrooming Villu Koobalt
2013Elavad pildidLiving ImagesErik, Paul, Mihhail / Mihkel
201519441944Kristjan Põder
2016Päevad, mis ajasid segadusse The Days That Confused AllarEFTA (Estonian Film and Television Awards) for Best Actor
2017Igitee The Eternal Road Toivonen's son
2017 Keti lõpp The End of ChainYoung man
2021Sandra saab töödSandra Gets a JobKaarel
2022Erik KivisüdaErik StoneheartDad

References

  1. 1 2 "Hendrik Toompere jr jr - Eesti filmi andmebaas". www.efis.ee. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. "Laureaadid 2024". Eesti Teatriliit (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  3. Laas, Triin (2024-06-09). "Hendrik Toompere - Eesti Lavastajate ja Dramaturgide Liit" (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  4. ERR (2022-04-01). "Nigula lavastuse "Väljaheitmine ehk Ühe õuna kroonika" menust: see on lihtsalt nii raju tükk". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  5. "Raevu, naeru, pisaraid!". Sirp (in Estonian). 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  6. "Laureaadid 2017". Eesti Teatriliit (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  7. "Mehis Pihla "Business as Usual" - Estonian Drama Theatre". Draamateater (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  8. "Laureaadid 2025". Eesti Teatriliit (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  9. "Tuhandetega järjekorras: minu kolm tundi «Rahamaa» piletipõrgus". Kultuur (in Estonian). 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  10. ERR, Kati Remmelkoor | (2025-04-01). "Reportaaž. Etendus enne etendust: kuidas ma "Rahamaa" pileteid jahtimas käisin". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  11. Bendtsen, Simon (2025-09-23). "Wow! Danske Bank burde få dette brag af et teaterstykke opført i København". Finans (in Danish). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  12. "Ivaskevičius/Toompere jr „Totalitaarne romaan"". Draamateater (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  13. "50. Mehis Pihla „Once Upon a Time in Lebanon"". Draamateater (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  14. "Eesti jalgratturite pangtvangikriisist tehtud lavatükk on kui põnevusfilm". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  15. "Hendrik Toompere, vanaisa kivid ja kohalolu". Keskus (in Estonian). 6 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2019.