A tale of kings

N-6

A magical journey for children and the whole family into the childhood of M. K. Čiurlionis

Playwright – Daiva Čepauskaitė Director – Milda Mičiulytė Set Designer – Artūras Šimonis Puppet Director and Choreographer – Eugenijus Slavinskas Composer – Martynas Bialobžeskis Video Authors – Titas Jurjonas

Cast:

Indrė Endriukaitė, Vigita Rudytė, Ramunė Degutytė, Remigijus Endriukaitis, Arvydas Šaučiūnas

Duration - 45 min.

Have you ever wondered what the childhood of an acclaimed artist and genius was like? An artist often shrouded in an aura of grandeur or even "mysticism," which hinders us from seeing and feeling the living human being, someone close to us.

The creative team, based on the memoir book by M. K. Čiurlionis's sister Jadvyga, set out on a journey to find the answer – how did a great artist form in childhood? Jadvyga's stories reveal a warm family atmosphere where parents encouraged their children's creativity, allowing them to dream and seek their own path. The creators of the play sincerely believe that every child is born with a spark of creativity, and an environment that nurtures it, along with family support, can help this spark ignite.

"M. K. Čiurlionis is one of the most prominent figures, often highly spiritualized, and for this reason, he sometimes seems like a personality distant from us and our daily lives. We wanted to look at him as Kastukas – that is what his family called Konstantinas – a friendly and extremely 'warm' child, sometimes a little mischievous, but for that reason only closer to today's child. We want to lift that 'mystical' veil of the genius and show M. K. Čiurlionis alive and breathing, so that all viewers, and especially children, can identify with him – after all, he was also the same child as the restless one sitting in the audience. We believe this will help every viewer discover their own personal, living connection with this artist's work," state the creators of the production.

The play is full of heartwarming moments, light, laughter, and the beauty of M. K. Čiurlionis's work, as well as unexpected (sometimes even magical!) characters. The production uses the bunraku puppet manipulation technique, which originated more than 300 years ago in Japan. This technique is distinguished by its complexity – the puppet is operated by 3 actors simultaneously, which requires concentration and extremely strong teamwork, the result of which is stunning – puppets and animals come to life on stage, which may seem more real than the live actors!

The play invites you not only to get to know M. K. Čiurlionis but also to discover your own creativity, ensuring that every child can flourish if their talent is given space to grow.