Time to shine – art for the elderly
The activities aimed at people over the age of 65 will continue under the name Aika shinea. The activities bring participatory art activities into the everyday lives of the elderly in Helsinki. In the activities, people encounter art in different ways. As part of the activities, cultural events are organised, touring performances are made and higher education students who will work with the elderly in the future are trained.
In the autumn season of 2026, we will continue the very popular From Story to Theatre activities. In addition, we will start preparing a new touring performance with the working title Dear Radicals. Cooperation with higher education institutions will continue with the Degree in Elderly Care at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
All our activities are free of charge for participants. The events will be held in the Helsinki area.
You are warmly welcome to join us!
activities The From Story to Theatre activities are based on the use of story theatre in encounter work. Story theatre is a form of improvisational theatre in which the participants’ experiences and stories are brought to the stage into small performances.
The performing group of pensioner enthusiasts, which meets weekly at the Senior Centre, has already started practising in the autumn of 2023. The participants of the group work as story theatre actors under the guidance of professionals. The group, which will perform in the autumn season of 2026, will continue to delve into story theatre and will perform in different parts of Helsinki.
The activities are guided by the project’s employees Laura Ikonen and Reetta Kankare. The story theatre musician is Heli Lyytikäinen.
Dear Radicals
We are preparing a touring theatre performance for the elderly with the working title “Dear Radicals“. The performance is scheduled to premiere in the spring season of 2028. The preparation of the performance begins with workshops, where the material for the upcoming performance is built. The workshops reflect on what has been radical or boundary-breaking in one’s own life. The workshop instructors are Laura Ikonen and Reetta Kankare.
Cooperation with higher education
institutions
Multi-year cooperation with higher education institutions will also continue in the period 2026–2027. Cooperation with Metropolia University of Applied Sciences’ degree in elderly care is carried out in various forms in both the autumn and spring terms. As part of the activities for the elderly, future bachelors of gerontology, bachelors of social services, early childhood music educators and theatre expression instructors have been trained for more than five years. In addition, the students have been able to guide and meet the elderly themselves. The trainers are Reetta Kankare and Hanna Nuorala
Light Draws the Furrows of Your Face remote exhibition
The exhibition highlights nine stories of elderly people living at home in Helsinki. The opening of the exhibition was celebrated at the Redi Shopping Centre in spring 2022, after which it has been on display in a variety of spaces around Helsinki. In the end, the exhibition attracted more than 10,000 visitors. The four-year tour ended last spring, but the remote exhibition can still be seen until the end of the year. The stories of the elderly filmed in the remote exhibition will be read by the actors of the Helsinki City Theatre. Watch the recording of the photo exhibition from this link. The photo exhibition is also well suited for viewing with customers of senior centres, for example.
The Time to Shine activities are part of the Helsinki City Theatre’s audience outreach. The project is funded by the City of Helsinki and is implemented through an extensive cooperation network.
Join the Art for the Elderly mailing list. You will receive the project’s news and information about upcoming events by email twice a year.
More information about the project:
Reetta Kankare
Project Coordinator
reetta.kankare@hkt.fi
