Helsinki City Theatre’s summer residency at Studio Pasila – open call for 2028
Helsinki City Theatre Summer Residency at studio Pasila – Open Call for 2028
The Helsinki City Theatre Summer Residency at studio Pasila brings new forms of performing arts into the theatre’s programme. The residency supports productions by independent artists and working groups that respond to a changing world through both their content and form. We are now seeking proposals for the 2028 Summer Residency through an open call that opens on 14 September 2026.
The Summer Residency offers an opportunity for emerging artists, as well as more experienced artists whose previous works have been presented primarily on smaller stages, to expand their practice to a larger venue and reach wider audiences. The residency is designed to provide independent artists with space and time for artistic development by making use of Helsinki City Theatre’s existing facilities and resources.
The residencies take place at studio Pasila, Helsinki City Theatre’s third-largest stage. The venue has a fixed proscenium layout with a 320-seat audience and a stage approximately 7 meters deep and 16 meters wide. The selected working group will have access to studio Pasila throughout June and July 2028 for rehearsals and development, as well as during the performance season in August 2028.
Production responsibilities rest with the participating working group.
We are looking for performance proposals…
- From artists and/or working groups with a clear ambition to create forward-looking, artistically ambitious works for larger stages and broader audiences.
- That are clearly articulated and well contextualised: what kind of work do you want to create, why is it important, and how do you plan to realise it on stage?
- That engage consciously with their artistic discipline or disciplines and explore them from new perspectives.
- In which new forms of performing arts enter into dialogue with the traditional black-box theatre space.
- From working groups prepared to make full use of the two-month residency period.
Selection criteria emphasise…
- Diversity: This may include diversity of artistic disciplines and aesthetics, as well as diversity in the backgrounds of artists, including experience, gender, language, and educational background.
- Pre-planning: Although the residency culminates in a performance season, it takes place largely while the theatre’s permanent staff are on summer leave. We therefore want to ensure from the application stage onward that proposed productions can be realised realistically and sustainably.
- Responsibility: We value sustainable production practices, environmental responsibility, and occupational safety. Helsinki City Theatre’s objectives include commitments in both environmental responsibility and workplace safety.
In line with our values, we strive to be a leader in promoting equality and inclusion. We encourage applications from people of all ages and genders, as well as from linguistic, cultural, and other minority communities.
We offer the selected project…
- A two-month working residency at studio Pasila during June and July 2028.
- A performance season of ten performances at studio Pasila in August 2028.
- All ticket revenue from the performances.
- Communications and marketing support as part of Helsinki City Theatre’s main season programme.
- Access to studio Pasila’s existing technical resources. Please note when planning your project that the venue’s permanent technical staff will not be present during June and July.
- Time for discussion and artistic consultation with the curator.
The residency does not include production funding. We are therefore seeking projects that already have funding in place for working and production costs, or projects whose creators are prepared to seek funding from other sources.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the residency can be found here.
Technical information about studio Pasila is available here.
The open call is coordinated by Riikka Thitz, Curator of the Stage for Contemporary Performance.
Application Process
The open call is intended for professional independent artists and working groups based in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Applications take the form of individual online meetings. The artist or working group meets with the curator and presents their project idea in any format they choose.
Through personal meetings, we aim to offer an alternative to application processes that place primary emphasis on written proposals. The meeting-based format also enables dialogue between the applicant and the curator already at the application stage.
Following the first round of meetings, the curator will prepare a shortlist to be presented to the theatre’s artistic leadership. Shortlisted groups will then be invited to a second application meeting. The final residency selection will be made by the Artistic Director of Helsinki City Theatre by the end of 2026.
Meetings will take place between 5 and 23 October 2026. Each meeting lasts 45 minutes and they will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Further information about the application meeting will be provided after registration.
Please note: The number of available appointment slots is limited.
- Booking links open on 14 September 2026 at 09:00.
- Meeting slots can be reserved until 27 September 2026 at 24:00, or until all slots have been filled.
- There are 35 meeting slots in total, so applicants are encouraged not to delay registration.
- Before registering, please read the open-call announcement, the FAQ and the technical information for studio Pasila carefully.
All time slots for the 2028 summer residency are fully booked. Applications for 2029 will open in autumn 2027.
For further information about the open call, please contact Riikka Thitz, Curator of the Stage for Contemporary Performance, at riikka.thitz@hkt.fi. (Works part-time, generally Tuesday through Thursday.)