The Snow Queen reflects Shed’s values
“Christmas performances always have a communal atmosphere and you get a good feeling when you do something big together,” says 18-year-old Sade Edevbaro. She has been involved in all the joint musicals of the Shed Theatre Group and the Helsinki City Theatre, which have been performed since 2019.
Like Edevbaro, many continue in the group year after year. There are no entrance exams for Shed, but eighty children and young people aged 10–19 are admitted in the order of registration. The rehearsals emphasize that everyone can do everything equally, regardless of how much previous experience they have in making musical theatre.
“Equality is constantly visible in all activities. It has made me stay in this theatre,” says 16-year-old Henni Palsala, who is participating for the third year.
The young people consider Shed to be an exceptional hobby place, as a large number of professionals from Finland’s largest theatre are involved in making the musical, from teachers to set designers and costume designers.
“It’s unique to get to know such diverse people in the Shed community. I’m interested in the field in the future, so it’s also fun to get inside the company,” says 18-year-old Roope Lappalainen . She has been involved in musical theatre since she was a child and is now involved in Shed for the first time.
Tools for life
The trio thinks that there is a strong sense of belonging among theatre enthusiasts.
“Even though the same interests are shared in Shed, people are very different from each other. I’ve made friends here that I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise,” Edevbaro says.
“In the summer, I was at a theatre camp in Hungary, where I realised how theatre can promote an encouraging atmosphere of being yourself, which is not a given everywhere. In Shed, I think this has come out particularly strongly,” Lappalainen continues.
“Here you don’t have to think at all about what you look like or whether you can do something or be afraid if you need more help. There is a very safe spirit in Shed, and no one is left alone,” Palsala says.
The trio feel that they have also learned interaction skills from their musical theatre hobby. Edevbaro says that he has always been shy, but every year it has felt easier to approach people.
“In the theatre, you learn to work in a group in such a different way and to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when acting,” Lappalainen says.
“Working with all kinds of people is a skill that is needed in every aspect of life,” Palsala continues.
Towards Christmas
Preparations for the Christmas musical began already in the spring, when the basic skills needed in musical theatre were learned: rehearsals related to acting, dancing and singing. It was also important to get to know each other and weld the group together.
In the autumn, the training is more intensive and focuses on The Snow Queen, the script of which the young people have had the opportunity to influence. Screenwriter Janne Puustinen led workshops for the theatre group to think about what life could be like in a frozen world.
“We were divided into groups randomly so that everyone also worked with strangers. It has been interesting that other people’s thoughts awaken new ideas in me, which then grow, grow and grow,” Palsala says. Some of the ideas ended up in the final script in the form of different characters, places and situations.
Inspired by H.C. Andersen’s classic fairy tale, the adventure story deals with friendship, transcending oneself and accepting difference – the same themes that are also an essential part of Shed’s work.
“If you want a good Christmas spirit, you should come and see it,” says Edevbaro.
“The enthusiasm and desire to do things is very strongly visible in all of us,” Palsala adds.
Text by Ida Henritius.