Translation scholars have recognized a number of reasons for retranslation in the theatre. In this paper, the author proposes to locate the motivation for retranslation in the specific context of the theatre and drama and study retranslation in terms of the targets the texts are aimed at. It is argued that retranslation strategies in the theatre can be understood in terms of how precisely the target of the text can be monitored. The more closely a text can be targeted at a particular reception, the further away the translation strategy moves from that of literary translation. The opposite is also true: the more independence a retranslation has as a written text, the more likely it is to follow the praxis in literary translation. The precision of targeting can vary from a loose spatial and temporal socio-cultural frame to a specific concept in a concrete physical location at a precise time of the day. The findings presented in this article are from the Finnish theatre, and, self-evidently, their generalization requires further study of conditions in other theatres. The Finnish theatre is relatively young and represents a marginalized language area. Finnish language as a literary medium is also young, which has its consequences for the retranslation of drama. The material is also restricted to the contact of the Finnish theatre with the dominant Anglo-American culture.