Helsinki City Theatre organises a festival for people over 65 years of age

The Time to Shine festival, organised by the Helsinki City Theatre’s audience outreach, brings together performances, workshops and encounters for the elderly over two days. The programme is free of charge and accessible, and offers people over the age of 65 a low-threshold opportunity to come to the theatre, try something new and participate from their own starting point.

“We have been working with the elderly since 2021, and now the work will culminate in a wonderful festival with other cultural operators in Helsinki. Over the years, we have repeatedly heard from the elderly how they have been brought up at a young age in the mindset that they are not allowed to be seen or heard. Today’s social debate and the media’s way of dealing with ageing also often remain narrow and problem-oriented. We, on the other hand, have seen people who are full of life experience, wisdom and creativity. They just need a place and time to shine!”, says project coordinator and festival producer Reetta Kankare.

The festival, which is being held for the first time, will feature a total of 17 Helsinki-based cultural operators who represent a wide range of different forms of performing arts, from dance and theatre to circus, music and participatory arts. In addition to the Helsinki City Theatre, the participants include the Armas Festival, FloweRescue, KOM Theatre, Maria Baric Company, Music Theatre Kapsäkki, Myrskyryhmä, Opera Tellus, PerformanceSirkus, Q Theatre, Hospital Clowns, Senior Info, Sirkus Magenta, Soria Duo, Susanna Leinonen Company, Dance Group Lipstikka, Teatteri ILMI Ö. and Yhteisö tanssii ry.

The festival will take place in the foyers of the City Theatre’s large and small stages and other public spaces at Eläintarhantie 5 on Monday 30 March from 2 pm to 7 pm and on Tuesday 31 March from 11 am to 5 pm.

See a more detailed program here.

The Time to Shine festival is the culmination of the Art in the Homes of the Elderly series, which has been running since 2021, in which the audience work of the Helsinki City Theatre has brought participatory art activities to the everyday lives of the elderly in Helsinki. The programme includes, among other things, the From Story to Theatre activity, in which the elderly get to become story theatre actors and perform in different parts of Helsinki, and the Stories I Carry performance, which takes theatre directly to housing units and service homes. Within the framework of the project, the interaction and encounter skills of social welfare and health care workers have also been strengthened by training the City of Helsinki’s home care and hospital, rehabilitation and care sector employees. The City of Helsinki is funding the Art for the Homes of the Elderly project.

Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Ticket offices Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

More information about the Time to Shine Festival and the Art for the Homes of the Elderly project:
Project Coordinator Reetta Kankare, reetta.kankare@hkt.fi, 050 434 4930

Further information on audience outreach at the Helsinki City Theatre:
Mirja Neuvonen, Audience Outreach Coordinator, mirja.neuvonen@hkt.fi, 040 352 3969

More information about the Helsinki City Theatre, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki