The City Theatre published its annual report for 2021 – layoffs avoided this spring

Despite the coronavirus restrictions and interruptions in operations, the Helsinki City Theatre produced a total of 16 new premieres in the 2021–2022 performance year. A total of 140,114 spectators visited the theatre during the autumn and spring (2020-2021: 51,119 , 2019-2020: 224,249). In addition, a total of 14870 people participated in audience outreach activities and various events. A total of 583 performances took place during the year. Due to the coronavirus, a total of 156 performances had to be cancelled, and in the autumn season, theatre was performed to limited audiences. The co-operation negotiations that began in January 2022 were completed in the spring without any lay-offs.

The Helsinki City Theatre’s Annual Report 2021 is available on the theatre’s website.

Helsinki City Theatre started its autumn season 2021 with limited auditorium capacity, first around 20 per cent in August and later 50 per cent in September. Finally, from October 2021, the restrictions on public events were completely lifted, and the long-awaited COVID passport was also introduced in December. At the end of December, however, the theatres had to close their doors again, and the City Theatre announced that it would start co-operation negotiations in January 2022. The start of the spring performance season was postponed to March and the performance activities in the late spring were lightened. With the additional support granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture at the end of April, it was finally possible to avoid staff layoffs. In the previous spring of 2021, the entire staff was laid off for four weeks.

“I would like to thank our staff for their hard work and perseverance also during this second exceptional year. Thank you to our audience for their support and patience in the midst of the changes caused by the cancelled performances. Our job is to make people see each other so that life would be richer. A person is nothing without another person. Hopefully, we will be able to meet each other with safety and confidence in the future. In the summer, we will recharge our batteries and invest everything we can in the continuation of the performance activities in the autumn,” says theatre director Kari Arffman.

Helsinki City Theatre’s diverse programme for the autumn season 2022 will begin with the first premieres of the new Contemporary Performance stage. The evening of two works, Encounters by the Helsinki Feminist Secret Society and Sara Grotenfelt’s Last Hurrah, will premiere on 9 August, and Kati Korosuo’s The Artist Is at Home will premiere on 23 August at Studio Pasila.

The programme on the main stage will be opened by the long-awaited party musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, directed by Samuel Harjanne on 25 August. Kultalampi, a touching family portrait starring Heidi Herala and Juhani Laitala, will premiere on the Arena stage on 8 September.

Two new Finnish dramatisations will premiere on the small stage: Milja Sarkola’s new Finnish dramatisation I Chose You on 22 September, directed by Milja Sarkola and based on Laura Lehtola’s novel of the same name, and the fantasy adventure My Friend the Pelican, starring Ylermi Rajamaa, Elias Salonen and Inkeri Hyvönen on 12 October. From 24 August, the foyer of the small stage will offer a joint theatre experience for infants and their immediate adults, Nice Journey!.

On the Swedish-language stage of Lilla Teatern, Riikka Oksanen’s My Fantastic Friend, based on Elena Ferrante’s popular Naples series, will premiere on 15 September, and Kris och katastrof i Moominalen, based on Toven Jansson’s Moomin comics and suitable for all 10–110-year-olds, will premiere on 1 October.

Studio Pasila will premiere Leea Klemola and Rosa-Maria Perä’s adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play Dangerous Relationships on 28 September. The play is directed by Anna-Elina Lyytikäinen and the cast includes Riitta Havukainen, Merja Larivaara and Jaakko Virmavirta, among others.

Helsinki City Theatre’s customer service and ticket sales by phone at 09 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lippupiste  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

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Helsinki City Theatre, Marketing Planner Ida Virkkunen ida.virkkunen@hkt.fi, 050 357 4250