The tickets for the performances that the students watched were purchased from the funds of the “Millennium School II” project. This project is implemented in accordance with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports Education Development Program Progress Instrument “Implementing the Millennium Schools Program”. The project is financed from the Economic Revitalization and Resilience Enhancement Fund (EGADP) and the state budget of the Republic of Lithuania. The Millennium Schools initiative aims not only to improve the quality of education, but also to involve students in various cultural activities, as in this case – the world of drama.
During the festival, high school students watched two impressive performances. The first performance “Mes (not) like Adamsai”, which was performed by the youth theater “Drama” of the Pasvalis Cultural Center (directed by Asta Simonaitė), is a comical, light show, the characters of which were played by school-aged people-teenagers. The main character, the boy Henry, tells how new residents arrive in a small town – the strange Adams, who surprise those around them not only with their appearance, but also with their behavior. The performance was based on Charles Adams’ classic comics and other interpretations of the “Adams Family”. The questions of non-traditional families and societal norms raised in the show encouraged students to critically reflect on various social stereotypes observed in our society and even among the closest ones.
The second is the drama studio play “Valdovas” of the priest educator Jonas Katelė’s charity and support fund, directed by Jonas Buziliauskas. The play “Valdovas”, based on Vincos Mykolaitis-Putin‘s work, is a historical romantic drama full of tragic tension and delicate lyricism. The main characters face dilemmas of patriotism, loyalty, and love. The emotional tension in the performance revealed the intertwining of the concepts of “honor” and “betrayal” – the inspiring performance, which revealed the themes of morality, responsibility and leadership with historical motifs, was also perfect for analyzing today’s current affairs.
After the performances, students of “Romuvos” gymnasium had the opportunity to participate in discussions discussing the performances. These talks were especially valuable because the performances were commented by experts from Morocco, the Netherlands and France. The guests shared their insights on the artistic decisions made in the scenography and dialogues of the characters, commented on the quality of the actors’ acting, the success of revealing the theme and ideas, and expressed their opinion on the choices of props and costumes. Such an international approach broadened the students’ understanding of the theater, assured them that it is possible to be interested and admire art even without understanding the language, it is important to know what to pay more attention to.
The project “Millennium Schools II” is still ongoing, but it is already clear that students have been given excellent opportunities to expand their cultural horizons, gain some international experience and learn to look critically at art.
Aphrodite TUSKAITE
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2024-10-23 14:00:00