The Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences (ETYA, formerly Estonian State Puppet Theatre, Estonian Puppet and Youth Theatre, and SA NUKU) is a theatre intended for young audiences. It shapes young people’s cultural space, expands their senses, reflects their perception of the world, and helps them learn to know themselves as well as the world. The ETYA along with the Museum of Puppetry Artshttps://www.eestinoorsooteater.ee/en/museum/about, which is part of the theatre, and the International Visual Theatre Festival Tallinn Treff, which is organised by the theatre, form a synergistic whole.

In 2016, an updated theatre complex was opened. The heart of it is the Ferdinand Hall, a classic theatre hall with 422 seats, which is located in the extension. The extension connects the building of the Museum of Puppetry Arts (at Nunne 8) with the theatre building (at Lai 1), which has the Black Box Hall, seating up to 187 people, and the Oval Hall, seating up to 76 people.

When creating its productions, the theatre seeks a dialogue between the message of the content and the visual means of expression. The ETYA is the only theatre in Estonia that consistently has visual theatre productions, including puppet theatre productions, in its repertoire. Promoting visual theatre and keeping puppetry traditions alive are an essential part of the theatre’s identity. The ETYA seeks contact with the young spectator, but its message also resonates with people of other ages – as youth and an urge for inner growth are primarily manifestations of a person’s internal approach to life, they can characterise anyone: a child, an adolescent, or an adult.
In the Museum of Puppetry Arts, the visitors enter the magical world of theatre, where everyone can choose themselves whether to participate or to be a spectator.
In the Museum of Puppetry Arts, it is possible to travel around in the history of Estonian puppetry arts; to listen to a recording about the life and creative journey of Ferdinand Veike, the first artistic director of the Puppet Theatre; to try out the job of a stage designer; and to be an actor. The museum offers the visitors an opportunity to act on various small stages and develop their creativity and skills of expression.

The purpose of the Museum of Puppetry Arts is to present everything that is done and created in the theatre, as well as to expand teaching methodology by introducing the method of puppet thinking as a means of self-development.