Jukka Ilmari Kajava (February 25, 1943, Oulu – May 16, 2005, Berlin) was one of the most well known Finnish theatre and television critics.[1]
Kajava worked for Helsingin Sanomat beginning in 1967, joining the paper's permanent staff in 1978. In addition to reviewing and criticizing, Kajava also directed theater and musical theater.[2] The first production he directed was the operetta Iloinen Leski (Merry Widow), collaborating with Antti Einari Halonen, for the Åbo Svenska Teater in 1972. Kajava was also known as a spokesperson for quality culture for children and received a State Award for Children's Culture in the year 1985. He received the State Award for Critics in 1992.
Kajava was a critic held in esteem by many, whose reviews could notoriously consign a mediocre performance to total oblivion, but who often highlighted new and notable performances and performers from the Finnish general theatrical scene.[3]