Cooperation between ShedHelsinki and HKT continues: Christmas calendar to be completed instead of a Christmas musical
Helsinki City Theatre will continue its cooperation with ShedHelsinki also during the coronavirus autumn. In the spring of 2020, ShedHelsinki’s musical theatre rehearsals were held remotely, but in the autumn, small groups were able to return to contact teaching. Instead of the traditional pre-Christmas musical production, the Forest Advent Calendar, designed by the children themselves, will be completed, in which a new, independent video is always revealed behind the door of each day.
“When the coronavirus closes opportunities, it also opens up new ones. The Christmas musical, which has become almost a tradition and has been produced since 2016, is now being replaced by a Christmas calendar. With it, the children get to practice camera work with a professional film crew and, above all, they get to write and plan the content of the advent calendar videos themselves. This year, the voice of the Shed youth is really at the heart of what we do, and we adults are only here to make it possible,” says director Heikki Sankari.
The children work safely in small groups of 4-6 people, and each group is responsible for designing at least one advent calendar door. The Advent Calendar will be filmed by the production company Lumi Films, and the filming will be directed by Saku-Petteri Perintö. 63 children and young people will participate in the creation of the Christmas calendar.
Cooperation between ShedHelsinki and Helsinki City Theatre
The Helsinki City Theatre’s and ShedHelsinki’s musical theatre for children and young people gives different young people aged 9–19 the opportunity to engage in hobbies and gain experiences of success in a safe community. The activities enable children and young people to be presented as their own, unique individuals. The activities are carried out in cooperation with Elisa Corporation.
ShedHelsinki is inspired by the London-based Chickenshed Theatre, which has been making art out of diversity together with children and young people for more than 40 years. ShedHelsinki is based on a foundation established by Elisa in 2017, the purpose of which is to make ShedHelsinki’s operations long-term. The Foundation’s most important work is done through continuous hobby activities. Thanks to it, children and young people find friends and get to test their limits. The Foundation enables diverse child and youth work that takes special needs children into account.
The Forest Advent Calendar will be published 1.-24.12.2020 on Elisa’s YouTube channel.
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Further information and interview requests:
Helsinki City Theatre, Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, 040 552 3788, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi
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Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki