Helsinki City Theatre and ShedHelsinki to cooperate even more closely

Helsinki City Theatre is intensifying its cooperation with the ShedHelsinki Foundation, which supports diverse child and youth work that takes children with special needs into account. ShedHelsinki’s new musical theatre production, which will premiere in December 2019, will be rehearsed and implemented at the Helsinki City Theatre.

Helsinki City Theatre has been cooperating with ShedHelsinki since 2017. In previous years, the collaboration has culminated in performances of a musical performed by children and young people before Christmas at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio Pasila.

“This time, the musical will also be rehearsed by HKT, and starting in the autumn, 100-120 children and young people will gather for rehearsals every week. The rehearsals will be held in Studio Elsa in two batches on Mondays and Tuesdays,” says theatre director Kari Arffman.

The musical is directed by Heikki Sankari, who is known not only as an actor in HKT, but also for his directing and scripting at the Samppalinna Summer Theatre in Turku.

Following the example of Chickenshed Theatre, the musical project offers children and young people of different ages and backgrounds the opportunity to perform, be seen and express themselves in a safe and equal environment.

The musical features young children aged 10-21, most of whom have been involved in ShedHelsinki’s musical theatre activities from the beginning, and some will take to the big stage for the first time. Some of the young people are reeling around in wheelchairs, others are helped by performing to concentrate – and everyone has the courage and desire to put themselves on the line.

“We want to encourage all kinds of young people to fulfil themselves. Our goal is also to increase acceptance of differences and diversity, as well as to promote interaction and equal encounters,” says Veli-Matti Mattila , Chairman of the Board of the ShedHelsinki Foundation.

The musical, which will premiere at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio Pasila on 7 December, will be announced and ticket sales will begin on 2 September 2019.

The upcoming musical is the fourth of ShedHelsinki, which deviates from the mainstream, and is a continuation of the acclaimed musicals Adventure on Christmas Night (2018), Sleeping Beauty – Back to the Future (2017) and Peter Pan (2016).

ShedHelsinki in brief

ShedHelsinki is a musical theatre project that differs from the mainstream, where the journey is more meaningful than the destination. The activities enable children and young people to be presented as their own, unique individuals. Together and safely.

The goal is to establish musical theatre that emphasises diversity in Finland and to make Finland a place where people dare to believe in their dreams and be seen just as they are.

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 Foundation in brief

A foundation established by Elisa in 2017 with the purpose of making ShedHelsinki’s operations long-term. The Foundation’s most important work is done through musical theatre activities. Thanks to it, children and young people find friends and get to try out and develop their skills. The Foundation enables diverse child and youth work that takes special needs children into account. Together with its partners, the Foundation supports creative performance events and events, such as musicals.

https://www.shedhelsinki.fi/
https://hkt.fi/

@hktfi @ShedHelsinki #jokainenkelpaa
 

Further information and interview requests:
Helsinki City Theatre, Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Officer, 040 552 3788, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi
Katiye Vuorela, Senior Vice President, Communications, Elisa Corporation, 050 66997, katiye.vuorela@elisa.fi
Riikka Kannas, Project Director, ShedHelsinki, 040 354 6331, riikka@shedhelsinki.fi