Helsinki City Theatre's audience outreach brings theatre to where people live and invites them to join in the making themselves. In the spring of 2026, Finland's largest theatre audience outreach department will, among other things, take theatre to assisted living facilities and senior homes, organise free festivals for the elderly, and invite thousands of eighth-graders and schoolchildren to reflect on and experience theatre together.

Helsinki City Theatre's dance company Helsinki Dance Company brings an unprecedented combination of dance, magic and illusion to its spring programme. Designed by magician Kalle Nio, the moving set made of mirrors creates visually stunning images and requires millimetre precision work from the dancers. Brazilian top choreographer Fernando Melo's new work Out of Order will premiere on March 11 on a small stage.

The world's best-known love story will be updated to the present day when the musical & Julia, which charmed London and Broadway, premieres on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 20 August. The title role of Julia is played by the young promising Renée Böök. The other main roles in the pop delight, which sprawls hit songs from the 1990s and early 2000s, are played by Mikko Peltomäki, Tuukka Leppänen and Maria Lund, among others.

This spring's premiere on Helsinki City Theatre's Swedish-language stage Lilla Teatern is the workplace comedy Status Quo. The performance is Jakob Höglund's last direction as artistic director at Lillan and will premiere on February 12. Maja Zade's comedy turns society's power structures upside down and depicts in a witty way how familiar roles and worlds change when a woman takes the man's place.

The trio of creators of the hit comedy Drama That Goes Wrong have once again created an unbridled spin that is guaranteed to make you forget about everyday worries. Director Samuel Harjanne, known for his successful musicals, directs his first spoken word play, starring Linnea Leino, Samuel Kujala, Sauli Suonpää and Risto Kaskilahti, among others. The comedy A Comedy About A Bank Robbery will premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 5 February.

Based on Pirjo Tuominen's best-selling novel of the same name (Tammi, 2024), the warm-hearted Kurtturuusut has been of enormous interest to the audience. The play depicts older women in a way that differs from what we are used to: not through illness or grandmotherhood, but from the perspective of friendship and the passion of life. The comedy, which premieres on HKT's small stage on 4 February, will have additional screenings in the spring and a continuation in the autumn season.