The project examines how gender and nationality affected the transnational dissemination of Swedish plays in European theatre 1883-1920, through a case study of Anne Charlotte Leffler's play Sanna kvinnor, [1883 True Women]. The play was one of the most successful in the large body of Swedish plays critical of marriage written by women in the 1880s. Generating and inhibiting factors for the dissemination are examined by mapping and analyzing central agents' interpretation and use of the drama in different interpretative communities.

The study contributes knowledge about the conditions for the reception of Scandinavian modern- breakthrough plays during an expansive period in European theatre history. It complements studies of the circulation and reception of Strindberg's and Ibsen's drama. By following Sanna kvinnor's journey through varying reception environments, it provides a cross section of the European theatre landscape from an intersectional perspective.

Several preliminary studies have been published. In addition to compiling these, some empirical data will be supplemented, and a theoretical framework developed. The goal is an academic volume in English for international dissemination.

The project includes research stays at Helsinki University and Turku University, which offer opportunities for future research and education collaboration on transnational reception of women playwrights and on Finnish theatre as a reception space for Swedish plays.