Wasa Theatre (Wasa Teater) is one of Finland's two professional Swedish-language theatres — a fact that tells you something important about Vaasa. In most Finnish cities, Swedish is a minority language confined to signage and official documents. In Vaasa, it is a living spoken language with its own professional cultural institutions, and the theatre is the most visible expression of that.
The company has been performing since the 19th century. The current building near the market square stages a full season of plays, from classical drama to contemporary work, all performed in Swedish. For visitors the language barrier is obvious, but the building itself and the spectacle of a city that maintains a full professional theatre entirely in the minority language are worth knowing about. If you speak Swedish or Finnish, check what's playing — the ensemble is small but serious.