The thousandth performance of Stones in Your Pocket in December – the record-breaking perennial favourite will continue in the repertoire until the end of 2026

Stones in the Pocket, starring Martti Suosalo and Mika Nuojua, had its Finnish premiere on 24 October 2002 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio Pasila. The performance, written by Irish Marie Jones and directed by Pentti Kotkaniemi, has attracted 364,000 viewers. Many of the viewers have seen the performance, which has become a phenomenon, several times. In December, it will be the turn of the thousandth performance. Now, the last performance date for the long-time favourite has also been set for November 2026.

This is how the actor duo opens up about their feelings about decades of success:

“In 23 years, children have been born, knees and shoulders have been operated, and Finland has been criss-crossed many times. In Helsinki, we have usually performed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and we call these evenings professional evenings. The 1000th performance is a performance like any other, we will win every match. I am grateful for the support of the audience. Everything has its time, and now it’s time to slowly stop presenting this performance in HKT,” says Martti Suosalo.

“I agree with the previous one. It’s been fun, but success hasn’t come as a matter of course. It has been especially great to notice how important the play Stones in the Pocket is to so many people. It has given me hope, faith and joy. Great feedback has come from different sides. It has also been an honour to get to know the skilled, professional theatre people from all over Finland, especially the wonderful people at the Helsinki City Theatre. Thank you to everyone,” Mika Nuojua adds.

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 larger Arena stage on Hämeentie in September 2022, where it will have its last performance on 10 November 2026.

Stones in your pocket performances until 10.11.2026 on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre

Basic ticket 52 €, student ticket 26 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 49 € (Mon-Thu)
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Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-19, Sun 12-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

In the photo: Martti Suosalo and Mika Nuojua. Photo: Tapio Vanhatalo

Further information, interview requests and media ticket requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki