This year, the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival pays special attention to the audience of children and young people, addressing them about current processes, as well as invites parents and school teachers to assess the need for cultural processes for young people’s growth, empathy and imagination.
Director, Valmiera Summer Theater Festival children’s and youth program manager Jānis Znotiņš emphasizes that this time is a time of finding and using challenges, new forms and new means of expression. If you look at it as a challenge, then the process is enjoyable. There was also no doubt that the festival will take place this year. This is the sixth festival with an emphasis on children and young people.
For director Krista Burāne, this is an active period, work is underway on various projects and their implementation. Burāne participates in the festival with the play “The End of the World and Other Nonsense. The form of the show was clear at the very beginning, the venue changed. The End of the World and Other Nonsense talks about how young people feel this time and the changed rhythm, marking the end of the children’s usual world. “The content we have managed is very interesting and diverse. On the one hand, light and smiling, on the other hand, testifying to the daily life of children and young people, ”emphasizes Burāne.
Students take part in the show, its content also incorporates the harshness of everyday life and everyday reality, it also has a fantasy world. The hard part – family relationships, school, loneliness, inability to understand your place in the world, growing injuries and difficulties.
Schoolgirl Zanda Zaļakmene believes that young people are interested in historical topics, how their parents lived. “It simply came to our notice then. Young people are interested in things that are not commonplace, ”emphasizes Zaļakmene.
Parental support for children’s interest in theater is very important, emphasizes Znotins.
Krista Burāne emphasizes that the school’s attitude towards the theater in general is important, if the school and parents are interested, it affects the children. The language of culture develops wonderful skills and abilities, the most important of which is imagination and fantasy, it helps to build relationships with people, it makes life more emotional and happy, emphasizes Krista Burāne.
The motto of the festival is “The world through the eyes of another”, which is a prerequisite for creating performances for children. The issue of empathy is very serious. Children and young people are the most vulnerable part of us, which adults use in their direction, says Znotins.
You can get acquainted with the program of Valmiera Theater Festival here.
–
Error in article?
Highlight text and press Ctrl+Enterto send the text to be edited!
Highlight text and press Report a bug buttons to send the text to be edited!