In the new musical play for the whole family, Who Captured the Sun, the recognizable world of Mauri Kunnas glows
A brand new musical play for the whole family, Who Captured the Sun , will premiere at Studio Pasila on 25 September. The work, based on Mauri Kunnas’s children’s book of the same name, has been dramatised and directed by Liila Jokelin, who has also composed the play’s energetic music together with multi-instrumentalist Lauri Schreck. The funny, wise and insightful work also makes you think about the opposition between greed and nature conservation.
In the sky of Väinölä, the sun shines golden. So golden that the greedy Louhi of the North gets an idea: if he robbed the sun and forged it into gold coins! Louhi and his wolf troops trap the sun in the cave and it gets cold in Väinölä. In the North, on the other hand, it is scorching hot as the chained sun smolders angrily in its cave. But the sun has a power that not even Louhi can do anything about. Even the most greedy learn what is really important in life.
“As a director, it is rewarding for me to see how the play’s warm-hearted humour and genre-like joy come to life on stage. We have practiced dance and battle choreography under the guidance of Arvo Jean-Michael Ärlig and songs under the guidance of Lauri Schreck. The top-notch actors in our team have taken over the world of the work and their own characters with a hearty touch! I can’t wait to perform this in front of the audience,” says director Liila Jokelin.
“Who Captured the Sun is full of wild, funny and emotional moments. In music, the story meets our beloved national instrument, the kantele – a mystical instrument that accompanies spells and transforms into a modern rock instrument in an instant. I’ve played all the instruments myself and looked for each character their own swing: Louhi thunders with symphonic power and Väinämöinen rocks with his kantele. There are influences from world music, Disney musicals, opera and rock,” composer Lauri Schreck describes.
The cast includes Jouko Klemettilä, Arttu Kapulainen, Sanna Majuri, Inkeri Raittila, Sanna Saarijärvi, Antti Timonen, Leenamari Unho and Juha Jokela.
The work has been dramatized and directed by Liila Jokelin. The composition is by Liila Jokelin and Lauri Schreck. The battle and dance choreographer is Arvo Jean-Michael Ärlig. The set and costume design are by Katariina Kirjavainen, and the camouflage is designed by Ronja Nylund. The lighting design is by Teppo Saarinen and the sound design by Riku-Pekka Kellokoski. The dramaturg is Sanna Niemeläinen.
We recommend the performance to everyone over the age of 5.
Liila Jokelin is a director, musician, writer and dramaturg. She graduated as a theatre expression director in 2015 (Metropolia University of Applied Sciences) and as a Master of Arts in Theatre and Drama from the Degree Programme in Dramaturgy and Playwriting in 2021 (Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki). His works include the Bakery Academy at Teatteri Takomo and Action Hero at the Tampere Workers’ Theatre’s Kellariteatteri, which he also directed. Jokelin’s latest directorial debut is Taxes and Death, which premiered at TTT in January 2025. Jokelin has also released two solo albums: Kaamos on huono esileikki (2019) and Saapuu sankarina kevät (2023). In addition, he has written lyrics, played and sung in the band Kuparilinna. Jokelin’s debut novel, Leikin varjolla, was published in 2024.
Lauri Schreck is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and pedagogue. Schreck has become known especially as a kantele musician, and he has performed with several well-known Finnish artists and as the singer and guitarist of his own band Lauri Schreck & Puhuri. Schreck has also worked as a composer and conductor in several theatre performances. He last visited HKT in the Groke Opera in 2018.
The premiere of Who Captured the Sun on 25.9.2025 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio in Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5).
Tickets: basic ticket €41, children’s ticket €20 #kukakaappasiauringon @hktfi
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Press release photo: Mauri Kunnas
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