(Vilnius) Owl Drūlija 3

Musical play for children

The creators of the musical play "Owl Drūlija" announce joyful news – this December, the owl's adventures will enter their third season!

Drūlija is curious, playful, and well-known to young viewers and their parents. Through the first two series of plays, she learned patience and understood the value of rest by making friends with the "yawnies." What fun discoveries await the little owl this time? As is known, this character wandered in from the fairy tales of writer Inga Narijauskienė and gained even greater popularity after the "Lietuva" ensemble presented it in the form of musical theater. The annually growing popularity of Owl Drūlija and the positive feedback left no doubts – just like the therapeutic books by I. Narijauskienė, Drūlija's story on stage is worth a sequel.

"From the very first minutes, the little ones were immersed in the magical world of the fairy tale: they were captivated by the fun characters, playful yawnies, and music-filled scenes. The children's eyes shone with wonder, and many repeated the play's funniest phrases for a long time. The story stimulated imagination and good emotions. The live music performed on Lithuanian instruments left a great impression. Thank you for creating such a festive mood," – such feedback from teachers and parents accompanies the play in social media.

In the third part, squirrel Umba, duckling Magagas, frog Pompocė, elephant Taputapas, woodpeckers, and flies promise to return and "drūl" (laze) along with the owl. The adventures in the forest will sound distinctly Lithuanian: you will hear Lithuanian folk instruments such as the birbynė, kanklės, lumzdelis, and skrabalai. The story itself will weave in Lithuanian folk games and the sensitive and magical relationship with nature that is dear to all of us, Lithuanians. By nurturing stage-based Lithuanian folk art, we aim to educate the identity of the young generation in a relevant and inspiring way – that which our grandparents and parents grew up with, and which we and our children will grow up with.

"The 'Lietuva' ensemble has long been carrying out this mission – to introduce children to folk art. And not only through plays for children, but also through educational programs, which a large number of Lithuanian schools attend. And the emergence of this Owl is special; I knew writer Inga Narijauskienė very well because I attended her sessions for toddlers with my daughter. Inga, while raising her son Pijus, began telling stories about Owl Drūlija, so the character's stories have been nurtured for over twenty years. The play was also carried a lot at home – by me, while raising my daughter, by Inga, while raising her son, and by Pijus himself, while raising his own son," says director Giedrė Kriaučionytė-Vosylienė, who works at the "Lietuva" ensemble.