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Description
"Tower of Babel "– an interactive epic theatre adventure for a young audience. This Project is a collaboration of five Europe theatres (Norway, Iceland and Lithuania). There will connect different backgrounds of the partners and different experience of interactive theatre. During the first part of project implementation, a couple of days long of an education programme for youth (14-16 years old) will be implemented. This programme will include artistic activities, discussions, meetings with actors of the performance. The aim of this programme is to find out the most relevant topics of nowadays youth; what topics and tools to Express them are accurate for them. All collected material at this part will be used in the creation of the performance in order to ensure young audience''s needs and reality by presenting the most relevant content and forms of expression to a young audience in general. The starting point of forthcoming performance – a biblical story about the construction of the tower of Babel. The audience will be an active part of the performance from the very beginning. The audience will land on the adventurous theatrical journey where sound, light, actors and action will lead them all the way.
In order to take a deeper look at the issues discussed during the performance, after each performance, educational programs will be implemented. Discussions between the audience and creative group will increase the cultural awareness, criticality of the audience as well will help them to understand the development process of the performance, the actor''s profession and creative team. Furthermore, the Project will create an educational package for teachers, which they can easily use in their educational programs. The production of interactive performance "Tower of Babel "is a continuous part of the international Project "Participate In Your Life ".
Summary of project results
The aim of the project - to promote the accessibility of culture in the regions of Lithuania, where culture is more challenging to reach, to educate a young audience by presenting innovative content and an educational program.
Besides, it is important to find out the most relevant topics of nowadays youth; what topics and tools to express them are accurate for youth.
Inclusive theatre methods are used from the beginning of the creation of the performance. It was planned to organize an educational program for 14-16-year-old pupils. Here was important to answer questions, such as: what is relevant for today''s young person? What does he expect from the newly created performance? What topics need to be explored? What form of performance would be attractive to him? The performance is educational in nature, which raises the central question: Is humanity able to unite to achieve a common goal - solve global problems relevant to all of us?
The modern young human has so many concerns about his future, climate change, the disappearance of democratic principles in modern society. Using a well-known biblical motif about the Tower of Babel, the director tried to answer the question in the theatrical version of this story: will humanity once again be able to unite for a better future?
In this theatrical journey - "Tower of Babel" - the story became an epic narrative of faith and opportunity, and the spectators became active narrators.
"Tower of Babel"– an interactive epic theatre adventure for a young audience. The interactive performance is still a novelty in the repertoires of Lithuanian theatres.
The activities and outputs of the project:
- An educational program based on the principles of inclusive theatre for 8-10 grade pupils in Lithuania was created and implemented.
- An international interactive and inclusive performance, "Tower of Babel", in cooperation with partners from Norway, Iceland and Lithuania, relevant to 8-10 grade pupils was created. The performance using material from the implemented educational program was created. The performance was shown in remote Lithuanian municipalities: Alytus, Naujoji Akmenė, Pagėgiai, Čekiškė (Kaunas district).
- An educational package for teachers, thus ensuring a better understanding of the performance and developing pupils'' critical thinking and cultural awareness, was created. It is an effective tool for adapting interactive theatre methodologies in the school curriculum, integrating interdisciplinarity to increase the efficiency of traditional education.
- The performance now is included in the program of the Lithuanian Cultural Pass, thus ensuring even wider access for students from geographically remote areas and in a more complex financial, to promote the attendance of students'' professional theatre.
- The performance "Tower of Babel" is included in the repertoire of the National Kaunas Drama Theater and will be shown for at least 5 years after the end of the project: 5 performances per calendar year at National Kaunas Drama Theater and 5 tours in Lithuanian regions.
- It is planned to visit all partners and co-authors countries with the performance.
Project target groups: pupils aged 14-16; teachers, parents of teenagers.
The created project results are not only innovative, but also relevant and attractive to target groups. The performance "Tower of Babel" is easily adapted for touring on smaller stages, such as the halls of schools or cultural centers in rural areas. In this way, a wider audience was reached. Besides, the reach of culture in remote areas increased, society was culturally educated, "practiced" at the theater.
Although the performance "Tower of Babel" is intended for the young theater audience, it is also important to see it for educators, parents of schoolchildren. In this way, it is easier for them to understand what is relevant for a modern young person, what kind of world he sees around him.
The engaging form of the performance and the methodology used in it are also relevant for other Lithuanian and foreign theater creators.
The educational package is prepared in two languages (Lithuanian and English) in order to ensure its wider use in Lithuania and partner countries.
Summary of bilateral results
The following activities were implemented with project partners from donor countries:1. Preparation of educational programs. It was found out what is important, what topics are relevant for young people. 2.Creation of the interactive performance "Tower of Babel“. The project partners created an interactive performance based on relevant topics for schoolchildren. The engaging form of the performance and the methodology used in it are also relevant for other Lithuanian and foreign theater creators.3.Preparation of an educational package for teachers. The educational package is prepared in two languages (Lithuanian and English) in order to ensure its wider use in Lithuania and partner countries.Partners from Norway (Kompani13) shared their acting and creative experience, and they contributed to the creation of an interactive performance adapted for young people. Here director Hilde Brinchmann and actors combined their knowledge of interactive theatre.Partners from Iceland (Bird & Bat/Barnamenningarfelagid Skyjaborg) contributed with their knowledge of movement on stage, communication with the audience, helped create the performance, its choreography and music.It is planned to visit all partners and co-authors countries with the performance.