The new musical Liisa in Pelimaa, written in honour of the 10th anniversary of the Shed Music Theatre, will be seen at Studio Pasila in December
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Shed Music Theatre will bring a completely new version of Lewis Carroll’s well-known classic fairy tale to the stage of Studio Pasila in December. Liisa in the Wonderland video game will premiere on 1 and 2 December. The musical by the Helsinki City Theatre and the Shed musical theatre group, which has become a beloved Christmas tradition, focuses on the captivating Shed youth.
Sisters Liisa and Leena are caught secretly making purchases with their mother’s credit card and have an argument. Liisa’s friend Jossu wants to comfort Liisa and convinces her to try the video game Wonderland. In a wonderful virtual world, Liisa and Jossu meet other players and different game characters. Alice plays and collects in-game currency, unaware that a faulty update has made the game dangerous – the Queen of Hearts now dominates virtual reality! And soon Liisa is accused of breaking the rules of the game…
“I wanted to use gamification to bring the world of children and young people to the musical. I believe that young people find it entertaining when the scenes are bubbly and the stimuli come at the right tempo. The game world can also be heard in the music, which has been influenced especially by retro games. The musical is a tribute to gaming culture and an opportunity to highlight the positive things related to gaming,” says writer-director Jyri Numminen.
Liisa in Pelimaa has also been inspired by materials produced by the Shed youth themselves.
“Shed’s year begins in the spring season with a rehearsal of dance, singing and acting, and the themes of the performance are already present then, even though the young people do not yet know which musical will be in store in the autumn. The aim is to get them to produce their own ideas that can be used in the presentation. We want to be inspired by young people so that their pure creative energy is visible in the work,” Numminen continues.
A total of almost 80 young people from Shed will be seen on stage. The stage will be shared with the Shedi members by HKT’s own professional actors Kai Lähdesmäki Kani_Valkosena and Tiina Peltonen as the Queen of Hearts.
The script and direction of the musical Liisa pelimaa is Jyri Numminen, and the music is composed by Tuomas Kesälä, who also acts as the conductor of the work. The choreography is by Jyri Numminen and Moona Karhu . The costumes are designed by Laura Dammert, the camouflage by Henri Karjalainen and the set design by William Iles. Lighting design by Teppo Saarinen, sound design by Sami Lust and video design by Toni Haaranen. The dramaturg is Henna Piirto. The teacher in charge of the Shed Music Theatre is Hanna Nuorala, the singing teacher is Pauliina Paasila and the dance teacher is Moona Karhu.
Meaningful theatre experiences for 10 years
In 2026, Shed musical theatre activities will celebrate their 10th anniversary. Shed’s first premiere was Peter Pan at the Alexander Theatre in 2016.
“The great thing about Shed is that everyone is welcome to join, regardless of their background. We don’t start valuing who can and who can’t. Everyone is allowed to work from their own starting point with the contribution they can. The principle of the Shed is that everyone has the right to perform. The anniversary performance shows concretely what has been essential in Shed’s operations for ten years,” says Saija-Reetta Kotirinta, producer at the Shed Foundation.
“If you want a meaningful theatre experience that has the power, joy and touching of working together, that’s what Shed Youth offers,” says Hanna Nuorala , the teacher in charge of the Helsinki City Theatre.
The Shed Foundation’s musical theatre activities in cooperation with the Helsinki City Theatre give various children and young people aged 10–19 the opportunity to engage in and make musicals together with the professionals of the Helsinki City Theatre. The Shed musical theatre group practises theatre making, singing, dancing and acting. The activities are made possible by the Shed Foundation, established by Elisa in 2017, which supports diverse child and youth work that takes special needs children into account.
The patron of the Shed musical theatre activities is Suzanne Innes-Stubb, spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland.
Read the interview with the director, producer and teacher in charge of the Shed Foundation on the theatre’s website: Action-packed gaming adventure bubbling with the energy of Shed youth
Liisa in Pelimaa premieres on 1 and 2 December 2026 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio in Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5).
Tickets: basic ticket €39, children’s ticket €19, student ticket €19.50 (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket €36 (Mon-Thu) #liisapelimaassa @hktfi @shedmusiikkiteatteri
Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket office Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5 and other stages ticket sales always one hour before the event in question. stage performances and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi
Photo: Kim Sinisalo
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki