Universum was born out of necessity, not design.
The opening of Stage Konepaja will be delayed from the original schedule, as the permit processes and technical design of the premises are taking longer than expected. We were ready to start in August, but now the premises will be ready in early December – and we will launch the stage with the first guest performances before the end of this year.
Red Nose Company will be performing at Stage Konepaja on Thursday, December 18, and Friday, December 19, with their production Mieletön. We will be opening the smaller upstairs stage with a performance by Sirius Teatern (ren_essens) starting on January 15.
We will celebrate the actual opening of the theater in connection with the opening of the lobby bar in February. The opening performance in the main hall will continue to be the re-premiere of Kettutytön paluu on February 12, 2026.
Our story began when four theaters decided to combine their resources almost thirty years ago. The resulting theater was built on an idea that still holds true today: art needs shared structures. Universum shares its workforce, stage technology, production expertise, and mutual responsibility. It originally found its home in the Betania building in Punavuori, whose distinctive church hall provided a unique setting for a hundred bold and artistically ambitious performances. Now this idea is growing to a new scale.
Universum is not building a new two-stage theater alone, but together with others. The aim is to create long-term working conditions for freelance-based art in the independent field. In addition to Universum's member theaters, the stages will host a large number of organizations and working groups representing different genres and styles of performing arts, who will premiere their works. In addition, the bar in the theater foyer offers a music-focused program and opens a 400-seat terrace in the summer.
The core values of Universum have always been cooperation, solidarity, and artistic freedom. Our goal is to enable longer rehearsal periods and performance seasons for premieres, as well as more systematic guest performances. We hope that Stage Konepaja will become a broader platform than Universum is for its member theaters.
Already in the planning stage, in addition to the member theaters of Universum: Aurinkoteatteri, Sirius Teater, Teater Mars, and Teatteri Venus, Red Nose Company, Teatteri Quo Vadis, Höyhentämö, Porttiteatteri, Liisa Pentti +Co, Post Theatre Collective, Teatteri Metamorfoosi, Stjärnfall, and Unga Teatern as program partners. Konepaja's collaboration network is sure to grow in the coming years, and the need is broad and shared: the Finnish independent performing arts scene needs permanent structures, not temporary solutions. One thing is certain, however: we will finally be home for Christmas when we begin finishing the premises as a theater in early December. We thank you for your patience during the delay in the process and hope to see you all at the theater next year.
