“Carrot on the Run” for Culture Kids

Two cultural operators in the Culture Kids programme are joining forces for the first time. The Helsinki City Theatre, which is sponsoring children born in 2021 and living in Helsinki, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which is sponsoring children born in 2020 and living in Helsinki, are jointly producing a performance series for children. Carrot on the Run will be performed at the end of September and beginning of October at the orchestra’s home venue Music Centre and on the main stage of the theatre. 

"It is so wonderful that my idea came true! I think it is very important to show families and the whole world that institutions in Helsinki can work together and invest in such a visible way in the cultural education of the city’s kids. The production is a jointly planned and carefully thought-out entity. A large team of professionals is responsible for its implementation, only some of whom can be seen on stage. It will be a lovely show. The experience is also exciting for the musicians and actors. Both parties get to visit each other’s stage for the first time, taking turns as guests,” rejoices musician and music educator Satu Sopanen, whose came up with the idea that led to the collaboration. 

“It has been really great getting to do a performance together with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra for the kids we are sponsoring. The performance has been prepared in warm cooperation, with great enthusiasm and uncompromising professionalism. And there are even more performers on stage than in our musicals! Carrot on the Run is a fast-paced and warm-hearted story where we get to know the life of the forest and are reminded that there is strength in working together. It is a pleasure to have the Culture Kids and their parents in the audience of the theatre’s main stage this time, some of them maybe for the first time ever,” says dramaturg Sanna Niemeläinen from the Helsinki City Theatre, who compiled the play’s script. 

In addition to the special performances for the Culture Kids of the orchestra and theatre, a public performance of Carrot on the Run will take place at the Musiikkitalo concert hall on Thursday 28 September at 6:30pm. 

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Carrot on the Run 

A joint production of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Helsinki City Theatre, Carrot on the Run is a captivating combination of music and theatre. 

It is morning in the forest. The bunny has just woken up and his stomach is grumbling. Luckily, a carrot can be found in the forest! The bunny starts playing with the butterflies, but meanwhile the carrot has disappeared. A family of squirrels goes to search for the carrot with the bunny. Thus begins an adventure in which they encounter the animals and life in the forest. But where on earth has the carrot gone? And what role does the orchestra on stage play in this mystery? 

The script for Carrot on the Run was written by Jenny Jumppanen, Sanna Niemeläinen and Satu Sopanen. The conductor is Maria Itkonen, and Johanna Elovaara is director and choreographer. The performers are Satu Sopanen, Sofia Hilli, Martti Manninen, Unto Nuora and approximately 60 musicians from the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.  

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Culture Kids 

Culture Kids is a free cultural service for families living in Helsinki. Every child born in 2020 or after and living in Helsinki is sponsored by a cultural operator who can offer the child and their family personal experiences with the arts. The sponsor, determined according to the child’s year of birth, invites the child to at least two free-of-charge cultural events a year. The sponsorship continues until the child starts school. The events are planned taking the child's age into account and are suitable for all families. The Culture Kids service is administered by the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Division and made possible by a grant from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.  

The sponsor for children born in 2020 and living in Helsinki is the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, who started its Culture Kids sponsorship activities 22 years ago. The programme has since been expanded to include almost 30 leading arts and culture operators together with the City of Helsinki. The Helsinki City Theatre is one of the sponsors for children born in 2021 and living in Helsinki. 

The purpose of the Culture Kids programme is to increase the wellbeing and equity of families living in Helsinki and to support the child's growth and development through the means of art and culture. The sponsored events provide a low threshold for locals to see, hear and experience their hometown and get to know its cultural venues. 

Families are invited to sign up for the Culture Kids programme by Helsinki’s maternity clinics, and they can sign up online at kummilapset.hel.fi.  

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Carrot on the Run performances for Culture Kids:  
2 October 2023 at 4:30pm and 6:30pm at the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5) 
27 September 2023 at 4:30pm and 6:30pm plus 28 September 2023 at 4:30pm at Musiikkitalo (Mannerheimintie 13 A) 

Carrot on the Run public performance at Musiikkitalo: 
Thursday 28 September 2023 at 6:30pm, tickets 4–25 € from Ticketmaster or Musiikkitalo ticket desk. 

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes. Age recommendation: 2+