This Saturday, the annual showcase concert of the “Sadko” theatre studio branch (Ghent) at the Russian House took place.
Every Sunday from September to May, the enfilade hall of the Russian House was filled with footsteps, clapping, laughter, and lively conversations. That was the theatre studio at work. The children rushed there as if to a celebration. And no wonder — only on stage can you become a prince or turn into a beggar…
This year, the young actors prepared a performance based on the little-known play by Evgeny Schwartz, “The Tale of the Old Balalaika.”
As we wrote earlier, this very production brought our theatre studio first place at the international theatre festival in Lyon, France.
But first things first.
At the beginning, young spectators, their friends, and parents watched a theatrical miniature based on E. Kostenevskaya’s “The Magic Book of Fairy Tales.”
The plot revolves around the adventures of two young wizards, Belle and Tinger. Their magician grandfather entrusts them with an important task — guarding a chest containing the magical book of fairy tales and making sure that in every story good triumphs over evil and the heroes live happily ever after. However, the young wizards quarrel over who is more important and, under the influence of the evil sorceress Gargulia’s quarrel powder, abandon their post. Seizing the opportunity, Gargulia steals the book in order to rewrite all the endings and doom the positive characters (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the Frog Princess) to eternal misery. Realizing their mistake, Belle and Tinger reconcile and devise a clever plan: disguised as their powerful grandfather and with the help of the young audience members — who actively participate in the action, do exercises, and learn “scary spells” — they defeat the evil sorceress, recover the book, and save the fairy-tale world.
Next came an energetic flash mob. Both adults and children were invited onto the stage. They picked up the movements almost instantly. It turned into a joyful and contagious experience!
And finally, the announcement was made: “The Tale of the Old Balalaika” by Evgeny Schwartz.
This is a little-known early work by E.L. Schwartz, written in 1924 in the form of “raeshny verse.”
Raeshny verse is a folk comic verse form without strict meter or rhythm, consisting of rhymed couplets. It is based on conversational intonation and was often used in fairground performances.
Through this production, the children learned about the Saint Petersburg flood of 1824. Schwartz — and together with him our young actors — managed to turn this tragic story into a fairy tale with a happy ending.
The audience did not want to let the young performers leave the stage.
At the end, Natalia Luponosova, head of the “Sadko” theatre studio, addressed the audience. She promised that classes would resume in September. Registration is already open.
Natalia’s contact +32 485 37 25 65
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