A fast-paced gaming adventure bursting with the energy of Shed’s young performers
Liisa pelimaassa is a new musical written to celebrate Shed’s 10th anniversary, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. This time, Liisa’s adventure takes her into the Wonderland video game.
The show’s writer and director, Jyri Numminen, wanted to use gaming to bring the world of children and young people into the musical. According to him, the production is all about fun and light-heartedness.
“I think young people will find it entertaining, with lively scenes and stimuli delivered at just the right pace. There is rapid-fire dialogue and plenty of little comic asides,” Numminen explains.
The gaming world can also be heard in the music. It draws particular inspiration from retro games while embracing a wide range of styles, from pop to Eurovision-inspired sounds and hints of Finnish schlager.
A tribute to gaming culture
In the show, Liisa is playing a video game for the first time, so the audience discovers the world and rules of Wonderland alongside her.
Like the story of Liisa Ihmemaassa, the plot progresses from one encounter to the next. The characters blend the worlds of the original tale and video games, and Liisa meets figures including the moderator Kani_Valkonen and the Herttakuningatar, who rules the gaming world.
No previous knowledge of gaming is required. However, the production includes hidden references and details for gaming enthusiasts to recognise.
“If a pig has fallen from a wall because an angry bird flew into it, someone might realise that it is a reference to Angry Birds. We have scattered little details like that throughout the show for people to spot, but they are never so important that you cannot enjoy the performance without knowing anything about them,” Numminen says.
Saija-Reetta Kotirinta, a producer at the Shed Foundation, sees this as one of the production’s strengths: “The script is very much of the moment and reflects the world of young people, but I believe adults and middle-aged audiences will find plenty to amuse them too.”
Numminen wanted the production to convey the idea that gaming is not simply a pointless pastime: games can also feature skilful storytelling and powerful emotions.
“This is a tribute to gaming culture and an opportunity to highlight the positive aspects of gaming,” Numminen says.
Games can help develop perseverance, the ability to tolerate uncertainty and social skills, among other things. For many people, the virtual reality opened up by games can be an important social world and the only place where they feel able to be themselves.
Everyone can take part
Shed is a musical theatre group that welcomes 80 children and young people aged 10–19.
They create a musical together with Helsinki City Theatre’s teachers, professional actors, artistic designers and the rest of the theatre’s creative team. The partnership between the Shed Foundation and Helsinki City Theatre makes inclusive musical theatre possible on an exceptionally large scale.
“The wonderful thing is that everyone is welcome, regardless of the child’s or young person’s background. We do not judge who is skilled and who is not. Everyone can participate from their own starting point and contribute as much as they are able,” Kotirinta says.
Shed’s guiding principle is that everyone has the right to perform. According to lead teacher Hanna Nuorala, the programme aims to challenge the structures that have restricted who has access to theatre stages. At the same time, it can broaden perceptions of who can be an actor.
“It is wonderful that we are gradually entering a period of change in which we can ask whether a young person with an intellectual disability could train as a professional actor. Could that be possible one day?” Kotirinta reflects.
The year culminates in a musical
Shed’s year begins in the spring with dance, singing and acting classes. At the same time, the group gets to know one another and the young people gain confidence in their abilities.
At this stage, they do not yet know which musical they will be staging in the autumn, although its themes are already woven into the rehearsals. The aim is to encourage them to come up with their own ideas, which can then be incorporated into the production.
This spring, for example, the young people did warm-up exercises to video game music, created choreography inspired by platform games and discussed what games mean to them.
“We want to be inspired by the young people so that their pure creative energy can be seen in the work,” Numminen explains.
The young people have also shaped the production’s comedy, as the script features jokes they have invented and collected. “Young people naturally have a great sense of humour, so I believe that when the script gives them material to work with, that humour will truly come alive on stage,” Nuorala says.
The anniversary production offers a tangible demonstration of what has been at the heart of Shed’s work for the past ten years. “Come and see what young people can achieve when they are given the opportunity,” Numminen concludes.
“If you are looking for a meaningful theatre experience filled with the power of collaboration, joy and emotion, that is exactly what the young people of Shed have to offer,” Nuorala promises.
Text by Ida Henritius.