To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shed-musiikkiteatteri, the new musical Liisa pelimaassa will be staged at Studio Pasila in December.

Sisters Liisa and Leena are caught making secret purchases with their mother’s credit card, and the two fall out. Liisa’s friend Jossu wants to comfort her and persuades her to try the Wonderland video game. In its extraordinary virtual world, Liisa and Jossu meet other players and a variety of game characters. Liisa plays and earns in-game currency, unaware that a faulty update has made the game dangerous – Herttakuningatar now rules the virtual world! And soon Liisa is accused of breaking the rules of the game…

“I wanted to use gaming to bring the world of children and young people into the musical. I believe young audiences will find it entertaining, with lively scenes and stimuli delivered at just the right pace. The gaming world can also be heard in the music, which draws particular inspiration from retro games. The musical is a tribute to gaming culture and an opportunity to highlight the positive aspects of gaming,” says writer and director Jyri Numminen.

Liisa pelimaassa has also been inspired by material created by the Shed participants themselves.

“The Shed year begins in the spring with dance, singing and acting classes, and the themes of the production are already woven into the work at that stage, even though the young people do not yet know which musical they will be performing in the autumn. The aim is to encourage them to develop their own ideas, which can then be incorporated into the production. We want to draw inspiration from the young people so that their pure creative energy shines through in the work,” Numminen continues.

Nearly 80 young Shed performers will take to the stage. They will be joined by Helsinki City Theatre’s professional actors Kai Lähdesmäki as Kani_Valkonen and Tiina Peltonen as Herttakuningatar.

Liisa pelimaassa is written and directed by Jyri Numminen, with music composed by Tuomas Kesälä, who also serves as the production’s conductor. The choreography is by Jyri Numminen and Moona Karhu. Costume design is by Laura Dammert, make-up design by Henri Karjalainen and set design by William Iles. Lighting design is by Teppo Saarinen, sound design by Sami Lust and video design by Toni Haaranen. The dramaturg is Henna Piirto. Hanna Nuorala is the lead teacher for Shed Music Theatre, Pauliina Paasila is the singing teacher and Moona Karhu is the dance teacher.

Meaningful theatre experiences for 10 years

In 2026, Shed Music Theatre celebrates its 10th anniversary. Shed’s first production, Peter Pan, premiered at Aleksanterin teatteri in 2016.

“The wonderful thing about Shed is that everyone is welcome, whatever their background. We do not judge who can do something and who cannot. Everyone participates from their own starting point and contributes what they can. Shed is founded on the principle that everyone has the right to perform. Our anniversary production offers a tangible demonstration of what has been at the heart of Shed’s work for the past ten years,” says Saija-Reetta Kotirinta, producer at Shed Säätiö.

“If you are looking for a meaningful theatre experience filled with the power of collaboration, joy and deeply moving moments, that is exactly what the young Shed performers offer,” says lead teacher Hanna Nuorala from Helsinki City Theatre.

The music theatre programme run by Shed Säätiö in partnership with Helsinki City Theatre gives children and young people aged 10–19 from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to enjoy musical theatre and create a musical together with Helsinki City Theatre professionals. The Shed Music Theatre group learns theatre-making, singing, dancing and acting. The programme is made possible by Shed Säätiö, established by Elisa in 2017 to support inclusive work with children and young people that also recognises the needs of children requiring additional support.

The patron of Shed Music Theatre is Suzanne Innes-Stubb, spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland.

Read the interview with the director, the producer at Shed Säätiö and the lead teacher on the theatre’s website: A fast-paced gaming adventure brimming with the energy of Shed’s young performers

Liisa pelimaassa premieres on 1. and 2.12.2026 at Helsinki City Theatre’s Studio Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5).

Tickets: standard ticket 39 €, child ticket 19 €, student ticket 19,50 € (Mon–Thu) and senior ticket 36 € (Mon–Thu) #liisapelimaassa @hktfi @shedmusiikkiteatteri

Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone: (09) 3940 22, Mon–Fri 10–17. Ticket shop at Ensi linja 2, Mon–Fri 12–17; ticket sales at Eläintarhantie 5 and the other venues open one hour before each performance; and lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9–19, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Press release image: Kim Sinisalo

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