Offer your idea to Viirus

Viirus is an artistic, Swedish speaking ensemble theatre. Our internal guideline for the coming years is “make theatre relevant again”.

We are always looking for repertoire, ideas, theatre creators, methods and performances that address the relevance of theatre in the here and now.

We exist to make performances that have relevant themes and interesting style, performances that endeavour to challenge and face their creators and audiences alike, in order to ask: what can theatre be right here and right now?

We want to challenge ourselves as well as our audience. We want our performances to communicate without getting stuck on language barriers, cultural and socio-economic differences.

We are always looking for new performance ideas and creators. The repertoire at Teater Viirus divides into roughly three different sections:

  • House productions (main productions and on tour)
  • GUEST-productions
  • Clubs and other events

We can occasionally collaborate with other theatres on productions, but we’d rather receive offers and suggestions that fit into the aforementioned categories.

House productions at Viirus

We produce three premieres within a normal theatrical year: two main productions on our main stage and one touring production.

The main productions at Viirus are subject to the decisions of the artistic council which consists of artistic director (Essi Rossi) and the acting ensemble of Teater Viirus (Maria Ahlroth, Iida Kuningas, Oskar Pöysti and Jessica Raita).

In the main productions the focus is on an interesting artistic premise, committed and ethical process and the endeavour to find something unique – theatre that is possible, impossible, important and inspiring in the here and now.

Main productions

  • The cast of a main production usually consists of our own ensemble of five actors. Occasionally, we hire freelance actors to complete the cast.
  • All of our sound-, light-, stage-, video-, costume- and make up designers are primarily freelancers.
  • Approximately every other production is directed by our own director and every other by a freelancer director.
  • We endeavour to also hire assistants based on the production’s needs.
  • The premieres for the main productions are usually in September and in February.
  • The target audiences for the main productions are adults.
  • A main production has approximately 25 performances.
  • The production budget for a main production is approximately 12 000e. That sum includes materials, for example for stage and costumes.
  • When hiring, we follow the collective labor agreement of the theatre industry.
  • We endeavour to make decisions on the main productions two years prior to the production.

Tour productions

  • We hire primarily freelance actors, designers, and directors for our tour productions.
  • The target audience for a touring performance are children and young people.
  • The premiere for an annual tour production is in February.
  • The target number of performances for a touring production is 40.
  • The production budget for a tour production is 3500e. That sum includes materials for, for example, stage and costumes.
  • When hiring, we follow the collective labor agreement of the theatre industry.
  • We endeavour to make decisions on the tour productions a year and a half ahead of the production.
Versailles. Photo: Perttu Saksa.

GUEST-productions

Viirus GUEST is one of Finland’s most active and important repertoires for visiting productions.

We look for interesting, invigorating and deliberate art that inspires both its creators and our audiences.

Viirus GUEST productions are curated through an open call process that is organised once a year, in September. We reply to the applicants within two months of the application deadline. We also receive applications outside the open calls as, but the decisions tend to be made within the open call schedule.

The decisions for the GUEST program are made by Teater Viirus’ executive producer/curator Mirkka Maikola and artistic director Essi Rossi in collaboration with the Viirus artistic council. We endeavour to plan the GUEST repertoire a year ahead of production. Planning the productions for the Viirus Main Hall can also have a longer time span.

Anyone, regardless of language, nationality, or background, can apply for the Viirus GUEST program as long as they are professional artists, groups, or theatres.

Our focus is on fresh and inspiring performances, on diversity and equality in both performance themes and working groups. We endeavour to have all activities in our premises follow the principles of sustainability and equality. We value professional production planning and ethical and ecological working practices.

4 FLOORS OF WHORES, niXXXavuori, Viirus GUEST. Photo: Tom Rejström

Clubs and other events

The setup for the Clubs is that they are intimate music filled soirees. The focus is on acoustic groups consisting of 1-3 people. The repertoire is formed primarily with music agencies and content providers. We endeavour to make decisions on the Clubs six months ahead of performance.

Decision-making

The decisions on our house productions are made by our artistic council, which convenes 5 to 8 times a year. The decisions for the GUEST program are made by Teater Viirus’ executive producer/curator Mirkka Maikola and artistic director Essi Rossi in collaboration with the Viirus artistic council. The whole gorup meets approximately three times a year. The Clubs are subject to the decisions made by the head of the theatre.

How to approach us with an idea  

House productions

Email is the most convenient way to approach us in relation to a house production. You can approach us with a complete performance or with a preliminary idea by e-mail on program@viirus.fi.

We are primarily interested in hearing what inspires you and what excites you!

One way to communicate an idea for a performance is to answer the following questions:

  • What is the basic concept
  • What kind of a form or style do you have in mind
  • Which themes, subjects or impressions are the starting point of your work
  • Why should this production be done at Teater Viirus right now

GUEST-productions

The best way to apply to the GUEST repertoire is through the open call. The open call is open for applications once a year, in September. The open call consists of a form which the applicant fills in. The form consists of questions regarding the basic information of the applicant’s production and its schedule.

Clubs and other events

We use mainly content providers and music agencies. If you have an idea for a club, you can approach us by emailing program@viirus.fi

We endeavour to answer all offers and applications within 1-3 months. Unfortunately, it does sometimes happen that we run out of time or fail to answer. This is naturally a mistake, not the intention. This is why we welcome any inquiries about your application. Please do keep in mind that we receive approximately 100 to 150 applications a year.

If you have further questions, please contact us by email or by phone!

Questions relating to our house productions or clubs, contact the artistic director Essi Rossi.

Questions relating to the GUEST repertoire and further information, contact the executive producer/curator Mirkka Maikola.

War and Piss with the Loving Memory of Hans Rosling. Photo: Sara Forsius.

For inspiration: our themes of 2023–2026

We have defined a theme for each year of our house repertoire 2023-2026.

The theme applies to both main productions and tour productions.

If possible, we apply this theme to the GUEST repertoire as well as audience events, audience development and other activities.

The intention of these themes is not to curb the applicant’s imagination, but to feed it. We are prepared to look at these themes from several angles. The core for everything is an inspiring performance idea which should not be hindered by the theme of the year.

The theme for 2023: Privileges

In the year 2023 we continue a series of productions with the theme of privileges. This theme started back in 2020 with the premiere of Familjen Bra. The other productions with this theme are Versailles, Rocky! Return of the loser and the main production of autumn 2023 Vem dödade bambi?

Our point of view on privileges is self-reflection. We acknowledge that we are both as individuals and as a community highly privileged. By “we” in this context, we mean both Teater Viirus as a theatre and as a community, as well as the Finnish and Nordic communities in a wider context.

The theme for 2024: Letting go

The whole of Western society will face a huge issue in the upcoming years. We will have to let go of a huge amount of both tangible and mental aspects of our lives: our current standard of living, our way of life, our concept of a good life has been brought to question after a long period of time that has been perceived as development. Now, that same development poses a threat to our existence. The performances of the year 2024 will address the theme of letting go from several different aspects.

The theme for 2025: The future

What happens after letting go? What does the future look like? What will life be like next week? Or what will it be in a thousand years? Will there be any life in either? What do the younger generations think about the future and how can one possibly believe in it? What do we, we who live in the here and now, actually want for our future?

The theme for year 2026: Utopia

It seems correct to finish the continuum of themes, that started with privileges, by dreaming of a utopia. Currently it feels that it is radical to dream. It’s the most challenging, the most gruelling thing to do. At the same time it’s the most important thing to do. With the word utopia, we don’t just mean some meaningless dream clouds, we mean finding and figuring out tangible actions. Challenging your thoughts and seeking alternatives to dystopia. That doesn’t mean turning your back on them or denying them, but to face them and to fight against them.