Six Finnish actors to get their own stamps 4.3.2013

To celebrate the centennial of the Finnish Actor’s Federation (Suomen Näyttelijäliitto, or SNL),  Itella Posti Oy is released a stamp booklet that features six renowned Finnish actors on 4^th March 2013.  The actors to be immortalized in the stamps are Ritva Valkama, Esko Salminen, Outi Mäenpää, Martti Suosalo, Krista Kosonen, and Aku Hirviniemi.

Klaus Welp, who designed the stamp booklet, decided to approach the subject from a modern perspective that pays tribute to the long tradition of the acting profession. The challenge lay in arranging six artists, all still very much in the limelight, on the same stamp sheet, says Welp. The booklet’s cover also displays SNL’s centennial logo, designed by Arja Karhumaa.

The actors featured on the stamps were selected by Itella’s stamp committee, which is composed of seven members. After lengthy deliberations, they decided that the jubilee stamps should feature popular actors from various generations – actors who represent the entire spectrum of their profession in theaters, films, and television, says Petri Aaltonen, who chairs the stamp committee.

Each actor was involved in the illustration of their own stamp by choosing a performance or role that was particularly meaningful for them. The roles featured on the stamps have also been memorable for audiences.

• Ritva Valkama’s choice fell on a picture from the play Ihmisen osa, which has been running at Helsinki City Theatre since 2011.
• Esko Salminen’s stamp features a photo from a performance of King Lear, which ran at the Finnish National Theatre in 2005.
• Outi Mäenpää settled on a picture of her role in the movie Black Ice, which had its premiere in 2007.
• Martti Suosalo’s stamp features a photo of him performing the one-man show Diary of a Madman, which has been staged in several different theaters since 2009.
• The picture in Krista Kosonen’s stamp shows her in her role as Anna Karenina; the play ran in Turku City Theatre in 2010.
• Aku Hirviniemi’s picture depicts him in his role as construction superintendent Timo Harjakainen – Hirviniemi’s creation for the sketch character competition in MTV3’s Putous show in 2011.

Thank you Ella for the lovely FDC.