Time to shine – art for older people
Activities for people aged 65 and over will continue under the name Aika loistaa. The initiative brings participatory arts into the everyday lives of older Helsinki residents, offering a variety of opportunities to come together through art. Activities include cultural events, touring performances and training for higher education students who will work with older people in the future.
Join the Taidetta ikääntyneille mailing list. You will receive project news and information about upcoming events by email twice a year.
In autumn 2026, we will continue the highly popular Tarinasta teatteriksi activities. We will also begin developing a new touring production with the working title Rakkaat radikaalit. Our higher education collaboration with the Degree Programme in Elderly Care at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences will continue.
All our activities are free of charge for participants. Events take place in the Helsinki area.
A warm welcome to join us!
Tarinasta teatteriksi activities
The Tarinasta teatteriksi activities use playback theatre to bring people together. Playback theatre is a form of improvisational theatre in which participants’ experiences and stories are brought to the stage as short performances.
The performing group, made up of retired theatre enthusiasts, has met weekly at a senior centre and has been rehearsing since autumn 2023. Under the guidance of professionals, the participants perform as playback theatre actors. In autumn 2026, the group will continue exploring playback theatre in greater depth and tour various parts of Helsinki.
The activities are led by project staff Laura Ikonen and Reetta Kankare. Heli Lyytikäinen is the playback theatre musician.
Rakkaat radikaalit
We are developing a touring theatre production for older audiences with the working title “Rakkaat radikaalit”. The production is scheduled to premiere in spring 2028. The creative process will begin with workshops that will generate material for the upcoming production. Participants will reflect on what has been radical or boundary-breaking in their own lives. The workshops will be led by Laura Ikonen and Reetta Kankare.
Higher education collaboration
Our long-standing collaboration with higher education institutions will continue in the 2026–2027 season. We will work with the Degree Programme in Elderly Care at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in various ways during both the autumn and spring terms. For more than five years, our activities for older people have included training future professionals in fields such as elderly care, social services, early childhood music education and applied theatre. Students have also had opportunities to lead activities themselves and engage directly with older people. The trainers are Reetta Kankare and Hanna Nuorala.
Valo piirtää kasvojesi uurteet online exhibition
The exhibition presents nine stories about older Helsinki residents living in their own homes. It opened at REDI Shopping Centre in spring 2022 and subsequently appeared in a wide variety of venues across Helsinki. Ultimately, the exhibition attracted more than 10,000 visitors. Its four-year tour ended last spring, but the online exhibition will remain available until the end of the year. In the online exhibition, the stories of the older people portrayed are read by Helsinki City Theatre actors. Watch a recording of the photography exhibition via this link. The photography exhibition is also ideal for viewing together with clients at senior centres, for example.
The Aika loistaa initiative is part of Helsinki City Theatre’s audience engagement programme. The project is funded by the City of Helsinki and delivered through an extensive network of partners.
For more information about the project:
Reetta Kankare
Project Coordinator
reetta.kankare@hkt.fi
