On November 11, 2022, just before 5 PM, Šembera Theater fills with the audience. Wine flows in the foyer, and the air is filled with a pleasant atmosphere tinged with a bit of tension. No one knows what awaits them on stage today.
Students from three small European cities – Caldas das Taipas, Mo i Rana, and Vysoké Mýto – nervously stand backstage. They search for the remnants of their energy after a demanding week full of introductions, discoveries, and art.
The performance begins.
Chapter One – Arrival – Welcoming Stereotypes
Three student groups from three countries – Czech, Portuguese, and Norwegian – appear on stage. The Czechs represent their negativism, the Portuguese express everything with kisses, and the Norwegians seek protection from depression and people in the forests near Chobot. The start highlights the stereotypes the students face.
Chapter Two – Getting to Know Each Other
The stereotypes lead the students into a game that introduces them to different cultural habits and helps them understand them better.
Chapter Three – What Will Our Theater Be About?
The principle of theater within theater takes the audience back in time. They watch a performance that reveals what the play should actually be about in the future. It reflects the first mobility in Portugal, which aimed to bring the students to the theme of the play.
Chapter Four – Experiences on the Bus
The students board an imaginary bus. The scene unveils all the experiences they had during their travels in Portugal – singing hymns together, sharing good moods and food, and even vomiting...
Chapter Five – Fish and Queeni
In the final scene of the first act, the students enjoy their joint dinners and evenings, which culminate in singing in the square on the last evening before departure.
"See you soon in the Czech Republic, where we'll rehearse the play!"
Hugs, and a “See you soon.”
In the first half of the performance, students from three nations aimed to show everything positive happening to their generation. To portray these beautiful moments, they chose the mobility experience as their backdrop.
An imaginary interlude takes place on a plane, where Portuguese and Norwegian students fall asleep and have grotesque Portuguese-Czech-Norwegian dreams. However, upon waking up, they return to real life.
In the second half of the performance, we move from the mobility to the students' homes and schools. We learn about all the negative aspects they face daily.
Students are not greeted warmly at home but instead pressured by their families about their future. “Unpack your things and catch up on your schoolwork,” says one student, portraying one of many parents.
All the pleasant stories from mobility turn into a nightmare for one of the students due to gossip at school.
“Håkon, I miss you.”
“I miss you too…”
In the final moments before the performance ends, a phone call to a Norwegian friend saves the student, as the friend listens to him.
And so, the performance concludes. The number of unpleasant situations affecting today’s young generation is increasing due to societal pressures, school, social media, and the media. There are many of them, but we will talk about the rest next time, in Norway.
The performance about the pros and cons of a single generation across Europe marked the end of the second mobility of the Erasmus+ EU_UpskillingPeople project. During the week, students from three countries occupied the new theater classroom in the attic of ZUŠ Vysoké Mýto, where they focused on creating a play based on themes found during the Portuguese mobility. The week also included various cultural activities and experiences.
We thank the families who hosted our friends from Portugal and Norway.
We thank all the teachers and staff at ZUŠ Vysoké Mýto for their help.
We look forward to seeing you, friends.
We miss you...
