Choreographer Tiia Kasurinen's Birds of Paradise examines power and stereotypical masculinity by colliding the courtship dances of birds of paradise, show wrestling, club culture and contemporary dance. The physical and playful work shows how both birds and humans build choreographies to be noticed, accepted and chosen. The work, which will be completed at the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance Stage's summer residency, will premiere on 6 August at Studio Pasila.

Helsinki City Theatre's dance group Helsinki Dance Company celebrates Kenneth Kvarnström's iconic, 30-year-old dance piece no-no and brings a new version of this classic of Finnish contemporary dance to the small stage in November 2026. The work, which premiered in 1996, ushered in a new era of strong physical contemporary dance and captivated audiences both in Finland and on tour in Europe. The work was last performed at the Helsinki City Theatre to sold-out audiences in 2008.

Somatic Sitcom, staged by the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance, plays with the aesthetics of 1990s TV sitcoms and layers seemingly insignificant gestures into a playful and moving choreography. The contemporary performance invites the actors to think about being on stage from a different perspective: instead of a psychological approach, the starting point for the work is the sensations of one's own body. The audience, on the other hand, gets to interpret what is happening on stage, who the performers are and why they act the way they do. The novelty will premiere at Studio Pasila on 21 April.

The radical tragedy of Antigone, which defies those in power, will premiere on 15 April on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre as a startling interpretation by young actors. Antigone, which premiered 2400 years ago by Sophocles, is once again topical: challenging power, civil disobedience and the status of women are being discussed all over Europe. Directed by Minna Harjuniemi and composed by Emma Raunio, the work continues the series of co-productions of HKT and the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki for the sixth year in a row.

Helsinki City Theatre’s autumn programme offers a diverse selection of Finnish world premieres, music and comedy. The Main Stage season opens in August with the hit musical & Julia, followed in September by the musical drama Nauravan kulkurin tarina. The new Finnish relationship comedy Kotijoukot brings laughter to the Arena Stage. The Small Stage will host the premiere of Elolliset, based on Iida Turpeinen’s book and co-produced with the WAUHAUS collective. Other autumn premieres include the family adventure musical Fretti Mercury etsii onnea, Lilla Teatern’s dark comedy De obehöriga, and the Nykyesityksen näyttämö production Birds of Paradise, inspired by birds of paradise and professional wrestling. The heartwarming comedy Kurtturuusut will also continue its run on the Small Stage.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Finnish art and entertainment fields were strongly separated. Until an artist, Vesa-Matti Loiri, came along and conquered both. The Story of the Laughing Tramp is a musical drama directed by Paavo Westerberg, in which the adult Loiri is played by Santeri Kinnunen and the young Oliver Kollberg. The play will premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 30 September.