The record-breaking popular Stones in Your Pocket has filled the stands for 20 years

On 24 October, it will be 20 years since the premiere of the Helsinki City Theatre’s play Stones in Your Pocket. The favourite performance has broken Finnish records both in terms of performances and as the longest-running full-length play in the repertoire.

Stones in the Pocket, starring Martti Suosalo and Mika Nuojua, had its Finnish premiere on 24 October 2002 at Studio Pasila. 20 years to the day, the jubilee performance on the Arena stage is the 862nd of its kind. The performance, written by Irish Marie Jones and directed by Pentti Kotkaniemi, has attracted almost 300,000 viewers.

“I’m grateful that there have been enough spectators in the stands for so long. Yes , Stones in Your Pocket is a unique performance for us as well. Performances come and go, but the stones just roll along the hill. There must be something fascinating about it,” says Martti Suosalo.

“It has been nice to meet an enthusiastic audience again, and this time on the Arena stage, where the performances started a week ago. Together with the audience, we recreate the world of the performance over and over again to make it unique. Even though we are celebrating our 20th anniversary, every performance is a moment of celebration,” says Mika Nuojua.

The play is about the filming of a film made in rural Ireland, with the help of locals Charlie Conlon (Suosalo) and Jake Quinn (Nuojua). The duo switch from one role to another on the fly, playing not only the main characters but also all the other fifteen or so roles in the play.

The performance, which is loved by the audience, has also visited numerous theatres in Finland over the years. The performance, which premiered on the City Theatre’s Pasila stage in 2002, moved to the slightly larger Arena stage on Hämeentie in September 2022. For the Stones in Your Pocket performances on the Arena stage, there are still tickets for the performances in October and November. The performances for the beginning of 2023 will be available for sale during October.

Stones in Your Pocket performances on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Hämeentie 2)
Tickets: student ticket €21.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €40 (Mon-Thu), basic ticket €43

Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 11 am – 5.30 pm, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (performance days) 11 am – 6 pm and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 am – 9 pm, Sun 10 am – 6 pm, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkti.fi
#kiviätaskussa @hktfi

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.

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