Helsinki City Theatre invites you to follow the live broadcast of the Elonsiivous performance

The theatre performance Elonsiivous premiered at the Helsinki City Theatre in February 2023 and has been touring Helsinki’s service units for the elderly ever since. The performance is based on the life stories of the elderly in Helsinki and stars Leena Rapola and Marjut Toivanen. The play tells the story of Aino and Raisa, who live in apartments next door to each other. There is a shared sauna shift and a joint newspaper subscription, inspection visits and bun breaks. What would life be without long, shared afternoons with conversations and dance dreams?

The stream will be filmed and broadcast live from the Helsinki City Theatre on Wednesday 7 February at 1.30 pm, and it can be watched by anyone, regardless of where they live. The broadcast lasts for an hour.

“We welcome everyone, regardless of age and location, to watch the live broadcast. We want to invite all elderly people to the stream, for example, to the shared stands organized in service centers, and we also encourage people of all ages around Finland to set up their own streaming stands, for example, with a group of colleagues or friends. The wonderful performance has received a lot of praise from the audience, and it makes the elderly and their stories visible in society in a great way,” says Hanna Nuorala, who is in charge of the project.

By registering your own joint auditorium, you will have access to additional material to tune in to the performance a week before the event. After the performance, individual viewers can move on to the Elonsiivous’ afterparty on the Foyer.fi platform, where they can enjoy spending time together and discussing the themes of the performance.

The script and lyrics of the play are written by Janne Puustinen and directed by Martta Pesonen. Laura Ikonen is responsible for the dramaturgy and scenography of the performance. The sound design and composition are by Aleksi Kinnunen .

The play celebrates Leena Rapola and Marjut Toivanen’s 40-year journey together as actors. In addition to theatre stages, the duo has been seen in numerous touring performances during their careers, where they have made art more accessible to children, young people and the elderly alike.

Art for the homes of the elderly
The Art in the Homes of the Elderly project brings participatory art activities to the everyday lives of the elderly in Helsinki. During the project, participatory art sessions have been carried out remotely and face-to-face, interactive workshops, as well as remote behind-the-scenes tours and artist meetings. During the project, volunteers working with the elderly have also been trained in the use of remote cultural services and students in interactive encounters with the elderly. The Art for the Homes of the Elderly activities are part of the Helsinki City Theatre’s audience outreach. The project is funded by the City of Helsinki.

@hkt_yleisötyö @hktfi #elonsiivous

In the photo of the press release, Leena Rapola and Marjut Toivanen. Photo: Miika Storm.

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 First line 2, Mon-Fri 11-17.30, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Further information about the Art in the Homes of the Elderly project:
Project Coordinator Reetta Kankare, reetta.kankare@hkt.fi, 050 434 4930
Hanna Nuorala, Project Manager, hanna.nuorala@hkt.fi, 050 4409670

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