This weekend, February 17 and 18, Sprīdītis started kindergarten. The hero of Anna Brigadere’s well-known fairy tale becomes a newcomer to the kindergarten, where a new and unfamiliar world opens up to him, and the three teachers, as well as the kindergarten classmate Amanda, become his guides, informed Ieva Hmieļevska, head of public relations of the Puppet Theater.
Inspired by observations in preschool educational institutions (abbreviated as “PII”), the show’s creative team conjures up scenes from the kindergarten “Sprīdītis”, where the open day is held. However, the situation got complicated when the news arrived that the director of the kindergarten suddenly fell ill. How can three employees promote the kindergarten if the principal is not present?! Who will speak? What will you say? How to convince parents that they are the best companions for their offspring in a world that has yet to be known and understood? This is not an easy day for Sprīdīt either, because it is the very first day in kindergarten. Everything that is happening seems a bit scary to him – the pot of breakfast porridge is as big and menacing as a Lutausis, the toilet bowl is as dirty as the Devil. The excited educators try to dispel the fears of little Spridīš by turning everything into a game.
The idea of the production, transferring the main essence of Anna Brigadere’s play “Sprīdītis” to the environment of a modern kindergarten, came from the director Santa Dižus. “On the one hand, in our production “PII Sprīdītis” there are some characters of Brigadere, but on the other hand, the play does not have the classic story of Brigadere. Our main impulse was the composition of Brigadere – after all, we also have a small child who is going to a big one, but quite a specific world, i.e. kindergarten. For him, it is new, surprising, unexplored, full of adventures and trials,” says the play’s playwright and artist Edgars Niklasons, who recently became the artistic director of the Liepāja Puppet Theater.
“During the creation of the play, Sant Dižus and composer Alexander Thomas Mathewson stayed at the kindergarten in Pińkis – as observers, we looked for types, and later, when the rehearsals had already started, together with the actors, we also visited the kindergarten “Sprīdītis” in Liepāja, we watched the children, played with them, communicated . This was my first experience in a kindergarten. From the point of view of dramaturgy, I feel better with school-age children. As a child, I didn’t attend kindergarten at all, only when I got older, I went to kindergarten to pick up my younger brother,” admits Niklason. “Santa has a long experience as an actress, three children and this environment is more familiar. Playing a show for 3-4 year old children is a very big challenge – you must constantly remember that the little person looks at this world as one big miracle and his personal world step by step expands. We adults have long since lost the ability to see the world as a growing wonder, so the show is a good reminder for school-aged children and adults as well,” Nicklasson says.
“Both Brigadier and I have the same thought: when a child goes out into the world at any age – to kindergarten, school, university and generally at any age in big life, it is fear of the unknown. However, when you meet and get to know your fear, it is no longer fear, but valuable experience. And we can successfully discover it through the prism of kindergarten. I thought it was interesting to show a child’s thinking, the imagination and the peculiarity with which a child looks at educators, events, objects. This ability to cope with everything is what unites us and Brigadier Spreedita. And , if after watching this play, the children will want to read the play of Brigadere or see the movie, then the goal will be achieved,” says director Santa Dijus.
“PII Sprīdītis” is the third new production of this season at the Liepāja Puppet Theater. The show is designed for 3- to 9-year-old children and adults. Its duration is 40 minutes.
The premieres will take place on February 17 and 18 at 12:00 p.m.
Future performances:
February 25 at 12:00 p.m
February 25 at 2 p.m
March 3 at 12:00 p.m
The creative team of the show consists of:
Director – Santa Dijus
Playwright and artist – Edgars Niklasons
Composer – Alexander Thomas Mathewson
Puppet master – Krista ħipure
Props – Kristine Dekovice
Starring: Ilze Jura, Madara Enkuzena, Andris Zełonka
Sound – Kristaps Žilinskis
Light – Jānis Brašs
The production of the show is financially supported by the municipality of Liepāja. Tickets on sale in advance at “Bilešu paradīze” cash desks and on the Internet or 1 hour before the show at the box office of the Liepāja Puppet Theater at Rožu laukuma 5/6.
2024-02-19 07:33:51
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