The world's most famous love story will have a new ending when the musical & Julia, which charmed London and Broadway, premieres on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 20 August. Producer Max Martin's jukebox musical, pulsating hit songs from the 1990s and early 2000s, has already sold 63% of its tickets.

Inspired by the courtship dances of birds of paradise, show wrestling and gender stereotypes, choreographer Tiia Kasurinen's new dance piece Birds of Paradise reflects on what kind of models of masculinity our culture rewards. What kind of choreographies do birds and people build to be noticed, accepted and chosen? The work, completed during the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance Stage's summer residency, will premiere on 6 August at Studio Pasila.

In the 2025–2026 performance year, the Helsinki City Theatre was visited by more than 270,000* spectators. In addition, a total of more than 18,000 people participated in audience outreach activities and various events. A total of 764 performances and 32 different productions were seen on the theatre's five stages, 17 of which were premieres. The programme for autumn 2026 has also been of interest to theatre audiences. The country's largest theatre has also taken its environmental work forward.

Choreographer Tiia Kasurinen's Birds of Paradise examines power and stereotypical masculinity by colliding the courtship dances of birds of paradise, show wrestling, club culture and contemporary dance. The physical and playful work shows how both birds and humans build choreographies to be noticed, accepted and chosen. The work, which will be completed at the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance Stage's summer residency, will premiere on 6 August at Studio Pasila.

Helsinki City Theatre's dance group Helsinki Dance Company celebrates Kenneth Kvarnström's iconic, 30-year-old dance piece no-no and brings a new version of this classic of Finnish contemporary dance to the small stage in November 2026. The work, which premiered in 1996, ushered in a new era of strong physical contemporary dance and captivated audiences both in Finland and on tour in Europe. The work was last performed at the Helsinki City Theatre to sold-out audiences in 2008.

Somatic Sitcom, staged by the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance, plays with the aesthetics of 1990s TV sitcoms and layers seemingly insignificant gestures into a playful and moving choreography. The contemporary performance invites the actors to think about being on stage from a different perspective: instead of a psychological approach, the starting point for the work is the sensations of one's own body. The audience, on the other hand, gets to interpret what is happening on stage, who the performers are and why they act the way they do. The novelty will premiere at Studio Pasila on 21 April.