Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance – open call for summer residencies for 2027
Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance – Open Call for the 2027 Summer Residency
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The Contemporary Performance Stage in Studio Pasila brings new forms of performing arts into the Helsinki City Theatre’s repertoire. The stage repertoire of the contemporary performance features works by artists and working groups in the independent field, which react to the changing world both through their content and form.
We are now looking for proposals for the Contemporary Performance Stage summer residency for 2027 in the open call that opens on 15 September 2025.
The summer residency serves as an opportunity for new artists or more experienced artists who have previously created works for smaller stages to expand their skills to a larger stage and audience. The purpose of the summer residency is to offer independent artists space and time for artistic thinking by utilising the City Theatre’s existing space resources.
The stage for the contemporary performance is located in Studio Pasila, which is the third largest stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. In the theatre hall, the stage and the auditorium are firmly opposed to each other. The auditorium has 328 seats and the stage is about 7 meters deep and 16 meters wide. The working group selected for the summer residency will have access to the premises of Studio Pasila for the period of June-July and the performance season in August. The working group that implements the proposal is responsible for the production.
We are looking for proposals for…
- artists and/or working groups with a clear goal of creating ambitious and forward-looking works for larger stages and audiences.
- that are clearly justified and backgrounded: what kind of work do you want to make and why? How does the idea become concrete on stage?
- who take a conscious relationship with the art form or forms they represent and examine them from new perspectives.
- where a contemporary performance discusses with a traditional black box theatre space.
- where the working group is ready to make full use of the two-month working time.
In our selections, we emphasize…
- Diversity: This can refer to the diversity of art forms and aesthetics, as well as the diversity of the artists’ experience, gender, language or educational background.
- Independence and advance planning: The residency ends during the performance season, but takes place mainly during the holidays of the theatre’s permanent staff. We want to make sure that the proposal can be implemented realistically and sustainably already during the application process.
- responsibility: sustainable consideration of production, environmental responsibility and occupational safety. The objectives of the Helsinki City Theatre include aspects of environmental responsibility and occupational safety.
In accordance with our values, we are a pioneer of equality. We hope that the applicants are people of different ages and genders, as well as people belonging to linguistic, cultural or other minorities.
For the selected proposal we offer…
- a two-month working residency on the stage of Studio Pasila in June-July 2027.
- ten performances on Studio Pasila’s stage in August 2027.
- The ticket revenue of the performances in its entirety.
- communications and marketing as part of the Helsinki City Theatre’s seasonal programme.
- the existing technical resources of the studio Pasila theatre hall. When planning your work, please note that the permanent staff of the stage will not be present in June-July.
- discussion and working time with the curator of the stage of a contemporary performance.
The residency does not include production support. We are looking for proposals that already have self-financing for the project’s work and production costs, or proposals that are ready to be implemented by applying for funding elsewhere. Answers to frequently asked questions about the residency can be found here.Studio Pasila’s technical information can be found here.The open call is organised by Riikka Thitz, the curator of the Contemporary Performance Stage. Application instructions The open call is aimed at professional freelance artists working in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and the working groups formed by them. The open application process takes the form of face-to-face online meetings. The artist or working group participating in the call meets with the curator and presents their performance idea in the way they wish. With personal meetings, we aim to offer an alternative to the application processes, where the focus is on how well the presenters can write about their work. An application based on meetings also enables discussion between the applicant and the school social worker already at the application stage. After the individual meetings, the curator creates a shortlist, which is presented to the theatre’s artistic director. After this, a second application meeting will be held with the shortlisted working groups. The final selection of the residency working group will be made by the theatre’s artistic director by the end of 2025.The meetings will be held from 7 to 24 October.2025. The duration of the meetings is 45 minutes and they are carried out via a Teams connection. You will receive more information about the application meeting after registration. Note! There is a limited number of appointments.
- The booking links will open on 15.9.2025 at 9 am.
- The application period is open until 28.9.2025 at 12 p.m. or until all appointments are booked.
- There are a total of 35 meeting times, so you should not leave the registration until the last minute.
- Before registering, please read the job advertisement carefully, as well as the frequently asked questions and the technical information of Studio Pasila.
- More information about the stage of the Contemporary Performance on HKT’s website.
The appointments for the 2027 summer residency have been booked and the application period has ended. The application period for 2028 will open in the autumn of 2026.
For more information about the open call, please contact the curator of the Contemporary Performance Stage Riikka Thitz by email riikka.thitz@hkt.fi (works part-time, working days mainly Tue-Thu).
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Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance – Open Call for the 2027 Summer Residency
The Stage for Contemporary Performance, based at studio Pasila, brings new forms of performing arts into the programme of Helsinki City Theatre. We present works from the makers of the free field of performing arts that respond to the changing world, both in content and form.
We are now seeking proposals for the 2027 Summer Residency of the Stage for Contemporary Performance through an open call that starts on September 15, 2025.
The Summer Residency offers an opportunity for new creators and more experienced artists who have previously worked on smaller stages to expand their practice to a larger stage and audience. The purpose of the Summer Residency is to provide independent artists with space and time for artistic development, utilizing existing resources of the City Theatre.
The Stage for Contemporary Performance is located at studio Pasila, the third-largest venue of Helsinki City Theatre. The venue has a fixed proscenium layout with a 328-seat audience and a stage approximately 7 meters deep and 16 meters wide. The Summer Residency includes two months of working time in June-July, followed by 10 performances in August 2027. The selected working group is responsible for the production of the performance.
We are looking for proposals…
- from artists and/or working groups that have a clear aim to create ambitious and forward-looking works for larger-scale stages and audiences.
- that are articulated and well-thought: what kind of a performance do you wish to make and why? How will the idea be realised on stage?
- that establish a conscious relationship with the art form(s) they represent and explore them from new perspectives.
- where contemporary performance engages with the traditional black box theatre space.
- where the working group is ready to utilize the full two months of the residency.
We emphasize the following in the selection process…
- Diversity: this may refer to diversity in art forms and aesthetics, as well as the diversity of level of experience, gender, language, or educational background of the artists.
- Self-sufficiency and pre-planning: as the residency ends with a performance season and occurs mainly during the summer holiday of the permanent theatre staff, we want to ensure that the performance is realistically and sustainably executable.
- Responsibility: including sustainable production practices, environmental responsibility, and occupational safety. Helsinki City Theatre’s goals include aspects of environmental responsibility and safety.
- In line with our values, we are a trailblazer for equality. We welcome applicants of different ages and genders, as well as individuals who belong to linguistic, cultural, or other minority groups.
We offer the selected proposal…
- A two-month working residency at studio Pasila in June-July 2027.
- A ten-performance season at studio Pasila’s stage in August 2027.
- The full box office income from the performances.
- Communications and marketing as part of Helsinki City Theatre’s seasonal programme.
- Access to the existing technical resources of studio Pasila. Please note that the permanent staff will not be present in June-July, so pre-planning is required.
- Time for discussion with the curator of The Stage for Contemporary Performance.
The residency does not include production support. We are seeking proposals with their own funding in place for working and production costs or projects ready to seek funding from other sources.
Studio Pasila’s technical details
The open call is coordinated by the curator of the Stage for Contemporary Performance, Riikka Thitz.
How to apply
The open call is aimed at independent professional artists and working groups based in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
The open call will take place through personal online meetings. Participating artists or working groups will meet with the curator and present their idea in the format of their choice.
We aim to offer an alternative to application processes that focus heavily on written project descriptions. This meeting-based process also allows for discussion between the applicant and the curator during the application stage.
After the individual meetings, the curator will create a shortlist, which will be presented to the theatre’s artistic direction. Based on their feedback, shortlisted teams will have a second meeting with the curator. The final selection will be made by the theatre’s Artistic Director by the end of 2025.
Meetings will be held between 7–24 October 2025. The duration of the meetings is 45 minutes, and they will be conducted via Teams. More details about the meetings will be provided after registration. Please note: Limited meeting slots are available.
- Booking links will open on 15 September 2025, at 9:00.
- The booking links remain open until 28 September 2025 (midnight), or until all meeting slots are filled.
- There are 35 meeting slots available, so it’s advisable to book early.
- Please familiarize yourself with the open call and frequently asked questions, and the technical specifications of studio Pasila before registering.
- More information about the Stage for Contemporary Performance can be found here.
All time slots for the 2027 summer residency are fully booked. Applications for 2028 will open in autumn 2026.
For more information about the open call, contact the curator of the Stage for Contemporary Performance, Riikka Thitz, via email at riikka.thitz@hkt.fi (works part-time from Tuesday to Thursday).