Theatre manager Kirsi Siren exports Finnish children’s theatre to Japan

The Espoo-based Theatre Hevosenkenkä is unique in many ways, starting from its location in a wooden house idyll at Juhannusmäki, Mankkaa. The founder and manager of the theatre, Kirsi Siren, is equally unique. She and her sister Sara Siren thought of establishing Espoo’s first professional theatre as early as in 1975. Last year, Theatre Hevosenkenkä celebrated its 50th anniversary. In addition to Espoo residents, many other children and families with children have enjoyed the visiting performances of Hevosenkenkä around Finland and the world.

Kirsi grew up in a family that valued culture and learned to appreciate it from a young age.

‘I see culture in a very comprehensive manner as a resource for the entire nation. I grew into internationality and respecting others, which has also been reflected in my work.’

The mother of four adult children considers Theatre Hevosenkenkä her fifth child. When the children were young, work and everyday life with children were intertwined. Good organisational skills have been very helpful.

‘My calendar might read “Sanna’s tights and ambassadors”’, Kirsi recollects the times when she was trying to reconcile work and motherhood.

The idea of founding Hevosenkenkä also took seed when she was a small child. Kirsi graduated from drama school as a director and Master of Arts in Theatre. She was visiting her sister when the idea of a children’s theatre of her own was born.

‘We had a shared vision. It all started with a rhubarb pie we were eating’, Kirsi smiles. 

While eating the rhubarb pie made by Sara, one of them said they should found a theatre. Kirsi had just moved to Espoo, where she wanted to establish a theatre. When they had had enough rhubarb pie, the sisters decided that they had feasted enough and it was time to found the new theatre.

‘“It all began with a rhubarb pie” has become the slogan of the theatre. When there is a problem, we wonder if we should bake a rhubarb pie. I even wrote a little play on the rhubarb pie story for the theatre’s 40th anniversary.’

At that time, both of them worked at the Helsinki Puppet Theatre Vihreä Omena to learn the ropes. The first play of the siblings, Mestaritontun seikkailut (The Adventures of the Master Elf), was adopted by the Finnish National Theatre, where Hevosenkenkä plays were staged for over 20 years. This also made it possible to launch Theatre Hevosenkenkä before other funding became available. 

Almost 30,000 theatregoers experience Theatre Hevosenkenkä’s plays every year. There are approximately 300 performances each year, half of which take place on the theatre’s home stage at Juhannusmäki and half of which are touring performances around Finland and the world. Frequent destinations include Sweden, Estonia and of course Japan, where Theatre Hevosenkenkä’s plays have been shown for over 100 times since the 1990s – in Finnish!

It all began in an international conference in Finland in the 1980s, when a Japanese agent seeking theatre plays found Kirsi and the activities of Hevosenkenkä. The matter was forgotten for ten years until one day Kirsi received a fax from Japan.

‘“Do you still exist?” read the message. I immediately replied that “we still exist”’, Kirsi recalls, laughing.

They were looking for high-quality children’s theatre in Japan for Christmas, and invitations have kept coming after the first visit. This autumn, it is again time to travel to Japan. Fortunately, the set pieces do not need to be transported, as a perfect copy of the Kani Untuvankerä (Bunny Fuzzball) stage exists in Japan.

‘It is even more carefully made than ours!’ The Finnish language has never been an obstacle, and according to Kirsi, there has been no desire for English plays, as the Japanese do not want children to believe that English is the main language spoken in Finland. However, the performances in Japan include slightly longer breaks than similar performances in Finland, so that a Japanese actor can bring the audience on the same page.

Kirsi believes that the bunraku puppet theatre tradition explains their popularity in Japan. Theatre Hevosenkenkä has also received positive feedback from the Japanese due to its warmth and humour, which has been well received despite the language barrier. Many Japanese partners have become good friends of Kirsi over the years, and some have spent their holidays in Finland and brought Japanese theatre to Finland in return.

If Kirsi had to describe Theatre Hevosenkenkä in a few words, it would be ‘life’s work’. Every day, the manager wonders how the activities could be developed.

This autumn, Tove Jansson’s Kuusi – Talvinen tarina Muumilaaksossa (The Fir Tree – A Wintry Tale in Moominvalley) will premiere on 20 November. Kirsi also reveals that Winnie the Pooh is planned for next autumn. And of course, the programme includes the theatre’s classic play Kani Untuvankerä and several other popular plays. 

‘Espoo is the capital of children and young people. Children’s theatre is a great integrator, as it teaches them the language, culture, the operating culture of the country and easy and beautiful language that is not hard to learn’, Kirsi sums up. 

Kirsi’s workdays vary greatly. Writing is very comprehensive and may take months. Then there are long stretches of direction and some bureaucracy in between.

The most memorable Theatre Hevosenkenkä plays for Kirsi have been Simpanssiveljeni Bruno (My Chimpanzee Brother Bruno), Lumikuningatar (The Snow Queen) and Karhu jota ei ollutkaan (The Bear That Was Not). 

‘I have always considered it important to have both new dramas and classics. There must be humour, warmth and beauty, but no nonsense!’

Last year, Kirsi also published her autobiography. It tells the story of the theatre manager’s eventful life. If Theatre Hevosenkenkä did not exist, Kirsi says that she would probably be a psychologist or work in an independent position related to the creative sector and culture. 

Kirsi has not been in a hurry to retire, even though she has already worked longer than average. Still, the future of Theatre Hevosenkenkä has been discussed: director Anne Rautiainen has been selected as the theatre manager of Hevosenkenkä from 1 August 2028 onward.

In addition to her family, which includes her husband, children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild, Kirsi often visits concerts and theatres in her free time. According to Kirsi, Espoo is a great city for culture, as there is a lot of choice, for example several children’s theatres, the Espoo City Orchestra Tapiola Sinfonietta and plenty of other music options, & Espoo Theatre and the Exhibition Centre WeeGee, with Leikki – The Museum of Play next door.

Tapiola Sinfonietta: Eroica (Thu 17 September Espoo Cultural Centre)

‘Beethoven’s music. The conductor is Eva Ollikainen, the world-famous Finnish chief conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, whose career has been interesting to follow. When I was a child, it was uncommon to see women in many professions, but nowadays women are almost everywhere. Still, they are not conductors very often.’

Howard Smith (EMMA – Espoo Museum of Moder Art from 5 September 2026 to 7 February 2027)

The retrospective exhibition of Howard Smith (1928–2021) showcases the versatile career of a beloved and unique artist. The exhibition is a tribute to his open-minded visual expression and his impact on the Finnish field of art and design.

‘A brilliant artist who created art in Finland for a long time before moving to the United States. It is great that his life’s work exhibition is here – a great cultural act by EMMA!’

Albanian storytime (Iso Omena Library 2 September)
Storytime in Arabic (Sello Library 1 September, 8 September and 15 September)

‘It is good to get children to engage with living culture instead of staring at a screen. Theatre Hevosenkenkä does not allow mobile phones in the audience area, and libraries play an important role in promoting reading. Multilingualism is a strength.’ 

Read more about Theatre Hevosenkenkä(external link, opens in a new window) (in Finnish). 

See what else is going on in Espoo: Cultural events in Espoo.

Check out our previous culture picks on one page at: espoo.fi/en/culture-picks

 Author: Sanna Uuksulainen