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"Petrovden" Shakespearean Drama School for Children;

 

Integration through theatre

 

A lesson in European behavior...

 

A rehearsal of "A midsummer dream"

 

  
I would like to tell you about our unusual theatre. This is how it was announced in "Panorama" programme of the Bulgarian National TV. "A cover on a play. Children act in it. These children who have decided to make friends with disabled children of the same age. What is more they act in the play together. A lesson in European behaviour which the children teach the adults"
But let’s begin from the very beginning. In August 2002 we organized a camp for disabled children and students from the schools in Patalenitza and "Lyuben Karavelov" Secondary School in the town of Pazardjik. For a week the children lived and worked together in various creative workshops. In the theatrical workshop the actress Vyara Nacheva quickly melted the initial distance among the children.

Any prejudices disappeared. Zlati’s infection enthusiasm went over the whole group and the endless wise of little Rumi entertained everybody. Zlati and Rumi were not the disabled children from the "Care Centre" any more, but normal kids like everybody else.

I talked a lot to the youths from the Theatrical Drama Scholl in the village of Patalenitza, who were the main participants in the workshop. They all said that their disabled coevals had given them so much love and kindness. Stefan Malyukov said, "It became a good friendship. We were ourselves and even communicated without words. Everything was about feelings…" Slavena Adamova said, "They are all so full of energy. They are sincere, real. I do like their optimism. You just need to find something in common with them. I saw how kind they are, the way they protect one another and get attached to people who love them. As I see the energy and dedication they put in everything, inevitably I become full of energy. It is just impossible not to take a bit of their power. The children from the Centre taught me that hope always exists."
Our secret expectation was to receive hope for something more. On the last night the children acted together before the audience. Vyara, helped by Hristo Tserovski, decided to perform a show. Day by day, step by step the play Snow-White’s Stepmother made the children live in the fairy world, full of joy and hope. The students from the Drama School in the village of Patalenitza and the children from the Centre for slow children and youths rehearsed and lived side by side. They gave help and support to one another. It was the only way – two of the actors were in wheel chairs and needed the help of the others. It is difficult to imagine the joy when children rehearsed in their costumes the first time.
I will never forget the first performance in the big hall in the building of the Municipality of Pazardjik. We all had been dreaming about the event and crossed our fingers for the children. And they were glorious. Although during the play part of our setting fell down, the
 

A scene of "Snow White’s stepmother"

 

children were not disturbed at all. When the play was over, the audience still could not believe that such a performance could be acted. And then the hall burst in applause.

Mothers in tears came to me, held my hands and said, "That’s incredible!" Later we performed the play in the hall of the Educational theatre of Plovdiv University and the children won the big prize at the children-youth festival "Theatrical House" There were a lot of emotions, excitements and applause again.
The result encouraged us. With the financial support of the United Dutch Foundations on 27th and 28th April 2004 the theatrical school "Petrovden" together with the disabled children performed the show "Country Fellows" based on motives by Ivan Vazov and Chudomir, set by Vyara Nacheva.
ÈI do believe that we all will have food for thought about the lesson in European Behaviour, which the children gave to us.

 

Nikola Kolev

 

About one performance – with admiration

 

A scene of "Fellow Countrymen"

 

  
You cannot and should not explain, analyze and guess the magic. You are told about it because it comes out of the blue, rushes into your life, leaves you breathless and changes your world and the traces never disappear. It has a lot of names, and different faces. One of these is the theatre. It is not the first appearance of the young actors of "Petrovden" Children’s Drama school in front of the audience. And it is not the first time when they bewitch viewers with its amazing acting. On the contrary, they have been acting for several years and the titles are various and serious, a real trial even for professionals. But the performance Fellow Countrymen (Nashentzi) adapted by Hristo Tzerovski and based on Vazov and Chudomir, broke the traditional concepts about amateur art activities and children’s theatre.
When I saw "Snow – White’s stepmother" about a year ago I enjoyed the same sincerity, which is not, tempted by the ambitions the "world of adults". I saw children and fairy tale that were put together and "born" again, but "differently" with a new identity. Then they were playing themselves, telling a story that was like the real life. It was beautiful and natural like a child’s playing. In "Fellow Countrymen" /Nashentzi/ they played us – adults. And they played in a way that made us feel unnatural: unnaturally revealed, touched the secret crannies of our souls and they made us feel good in a way that we had not felt for a long time. I was crying while I was watching. And I was not the only one. Tears in the hall had nothing to do with the wheelchair on the stage. These were not tears for children, but tears

evoked by them. Did they realize what theywere doing? It is not important – you should not realize the magic to let it be the magic. A deep bow before the talent and open – heartedness!

 

Tzvetanka Ubinova