PRESS

ICEBREAKING (V4+UA)
report from the research, workshop and premiere of the Human Caravana pilot

“I believe in the power of art as a form of being together.”
Jerzy Zoń, director Teatr KTO, Krakow

The idea of preparing a theatre of social inclusion, which would help to integrate the Ukrainian expatriates into society and to help the local population to understand the situation in which we all found ourselves, occured at a time when the wave of solidarity and help to our invaded neighbours was at its peak, yet the first misunderstandings and animosities were already appearing. We had no idea that their development would be so dynamic, nor did we foresee how uneasy it would be to map the state of the diverse relations between the locals and the refugees in the neighbouring countries, to capture and understand the key moments of human fates and in the process of creation to transform them into an attractive artistic and theatrical form that is understandable to the general public by using dramatic tools.
That is why the “ICEBREAKING” project has had and will continue to have a number of different and challenging phases. The whole project consists of 3 stages: RESEARCH, HUMAN CARAVANA, CIRCUS CARAVANA. The starting point was to approach four friendly theatres from the V4 countries and agree on the topicality of the theme and the need to help overcome the barriers between us, the closest neighbours. So that it is not revived prejudices, mental barriers and spreading hatred that prevail, but mutual understanding, humanity and dignity. We, The Ensemble of Irregular Theatre (AND) from Banská Štiavnica, approached and formed a creative consortium with Teatr KTO from Krakow, Krvik Totr from Prague and Firebirds company from Budapest to jointly create an international street production aimed at bringing local citizens in the V4 countries and the exiles from Ukraine together. We also invited the Ukrainian multimedia theatre WE: MEDIA THEATER from Lviv to join the partnership. Each of the partners of this European cooperation has a specific role in the project. The Slovak coordinator is responsible for the overall management of the project and its directing component, the Czech partner is tasked with writing the libretto and later the script of the production, the Polish and Hungarian theatres are mainly represented by their actors as performers of the production, and the Ukrainian team enriches the project with film and documentary production.

RESEARCH

The initial stage in V4 countries was first undertaken by a smaller team: the main protagonists of the Krvik Totr theatre and the scriptwriters of the project from Prague − Petr Novotný and Tomáš Kout, together with members of our AND theatre, director Jana Mikitková and PR manager Ema Rajčanová, prepared various socially inclusive activities with local citizens of the V4 countries and the Ukrainian community in Prague, Budapest, Banská Štiavnica and Krakow. The four-day stays of the international team of theatre artists in each of these cities took place in August 2023 and were focused on RESEARCH and collecting authentic field stories of expatriates as an inspiration for the script of a future street production. From the meetings we attended, exploratory visits to temporary Ukrainian homes, from conducting creative workshops with local citizens and domesticated refugees, as well as from numerous individual interviews with selected respondents, we recorded a number of extraordinary stories and emotional testimonies that shed light on the lived experiences of diametrically different fates of similar generations in two neighbouring countries.
We understood that the power of the topic is enormous. We humbly respected that the personal experience of Ukrainian expatriates is largely non-transferable and incomprehensible to us, and at the same time we slowly found ways that brought us closer together, such as sharing recipes for national specialties, live music, singing favorite songs, or juggling techniques, or laughing at minor language misunderstandings.

“I feel at home. I feel like I’m among my own.”
(Sveťa, Kyiv)
“We don’t have a home anymore, we don’t have anything, I want to stay here.”
(Olena, Bachmut)
“Whoever loses his home and land, it is as if he did not exist, as if he had lost his life.”
(Olha, Zaporozhye)
“We went for a walk in the forest and didn’t have to pay attention to where the mines were…”
(Liuda, Lviv)
“We’ve forgotten what it’s like to be out at night and just enjoy life like the people here.”
(Olha, Lviv)
“We’re having a good time here, but as soon as the war is over, I know which connection I’m going to get on and go back.”
(Olha, Zaporozhye)

The research trips culminated in each town with a nice NEIGHBORHOOD PICNIC and an informal yet purposeful program, structure, and light refreshments. After the initial introductions and participants’ handwritten first names on a common wrapping paper (it was remarkable to see who used Ukrainian or Russian signatures or pronunciations of names), there followed a fun exploration of the different meanings of sound-meaning words in our Central European languages (blueberry in Slovak, etc.), searching for similar words with different meanings (e.g. our amazing is terrible in Ukrainian), and realizing the loss of the original language identity and the acquisition of a new one among the departees (rejection of Russian, preference for Ukrainian, inevitable learning of the local language). The picnic continued with the idea of home, where the exiles live, but with their eyes closed (they often emotionally compared their current small, shared rooms with their big houses and orchards in Ukraine). Almost all of them lived in memories, in the past. Then it was their turn to hand out each other’s pre-prepared gift packages and guess what might be in them. After unwrapping them, individual consideration of whether the recipient needed the gift or would pass it on to someone else. The gift-giving game was followed by walking interaction in pairs with a string of parcels, guiding each other with eyes closed around the picnic’s exterior as a test of mutual trust. Then, all the gift recipients used pieces of gift wrapping paper to piece together the regions and cities of Ukraine and the V4 countries (the very name of the country “Ukraine” contains the Slovak word “ukrajovať” which can be freely translated as to remove, to take away or to cut). Older participants also willingly added their home region to this “map-making” of the new European continent. Each picnic (except Budapest) was multilingually moderated and enriched by an experienced stage designer and performer Tomáš Žižka from Prague, who presented an unusual musical performance at the end of the picnic with his captivating story about the European roots of his ancestors. He miraculously made various rhythmic sounds from a large dry tree root with the help of a sensor and various tools (sticks, brushes, toys…), which not only captivated the children, but also literally enchanted the older women who had not yet encountered similar contemporary art. Neighbourhood picnics took place in the exteriors of the Thomayer Gardens (Prague), in the park of the Konnektor Community Incubator (Budapest), in the garden of the Scout House (Banská Štiavnica) and on the outdoor stage of Teatr KTO (Kraków). The number of participants was variable over time, ranging from 20 to 40 over the course of three to four hours. Some people came and went according to their abilities. The majority were mostly Ukrainians, with the managers of the local partner theatres helping with the organisation of the event.
During the 13-day research tour, the members of the eight-member international team also met together every evening to not only pass on background information and personal experiences gained in individual conversations and situations during the day, to select interesting and inspiring moments for the production that could enrich the scriptwriters, dramaturg and director in the process of creating the future production, but also to “melt the ice” between the research participants and each other. In addition to a number of photographs, a rich database of all the activities that were recorded on audio and video by Liudmyla Batalova and Olha Klymuk from the partner Ukrainian theatre during the research trips was also created. They were later artistically processed by director Sashko Brama (UA) into the documentary ICEBREAKING as a reportage story of one of them. The premiere and a discussion with the filmmakers took place at the end of the 8th edition of the AMPLIFIER Festival − New Cabaret & Street Art 2023 in Banská Štiavnica.

“I am Russian, but my home is Ukraine.”
(Olha, Zaporozhye)
“I don’t have a home in Budapest. I’m here on a long trip.”
(Michael, Kijiv)
“Slovaks, Czechs and Poles help Ukrainians because they have to, they do it out of fear of Russia, they don’t want them to come to their countries. Hungarians help selflessly because they want to help.”
(Chilla, Transcarpathia)
“The first thing that brought us together was a ball of wool. Our first word we both understood was mohair.”
(Zuzka, Banská Štiavnica)
“If there’s still a war next Wednesday, I’ll come to the shredding…”
(Marina, Kharkiv)
“Everyone is in their place. My husband fights in the war, I fight with our culture, embroidery and the Ukrainian flag. We are in this together.”
(Marina, Kharkiv)

WORKSHOP

Immediately following the research trips came the creation of the libretto for the future production. The author duo Petr Novotný and Tomáš Kout (CZ) wrote the first version of the script within ten days, which was then edited according to the comments of the dramaturgs and especially the director Jana Mikitková (SK) into the first version of the libretto. This, together with the previously prepared site-specific scenographic vision by Tomáš Žižka (SK/CZ), was the basis for the intensive creative work of the lecturers of the international WORKSHOP in the four most important production components of HUMAN CARAVANA. While Martin Geišberg (SK) practiced playing atypical musical instruments and singing with the seven actors and composed and recorded original music for the pilot production at night, costume designer Anna Weszelovszky (HU) was intensively creating costumes on site from pre-purchased and collected materials (sleeping bags) and adapted them to the actors’ bodies. Set designer Tomáš Žižka together with his technical assistant Henrich Žuch prepared visual installations and props for the street set: spotlights with smoke effect in the entrance gate of the Old Castle, fortune-telling place and cards, white shirts hanging in the treetops, a huge nest made of branches in the forest, boundary markings on the fence, a rope of parasols. They also modified a cart to haul the “new temporary home for exatriates”. However, the international team of performers from Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia was most physically exhausted by the creation of meaning-making movement drama-tic situations by choreographer Ladislav Cmorej (SK), who was a hearty reinforcement of the non-verbal and visual-movement concept of the work-in-progress staging by director Jana Mikitková (SK). Despite the fact that a three-day workshop cannot replace the classical six-week rehearsal process in a theatre, all the above-mentioned creators as well as the performers from the partner theatres and artistic groups Slawek Bendykowski, Paulina Lasyk, Mieszko Syc (PL), Gergely Kiss, Bálint Turai (HU), Tereza Kmotorková (SK) and Anton Eliáš (SK/CZ) worked intensively together from early morning until late at night, with respect for the expert lecturers and the intentions of the project. With their natural willingness, immediate humanity and especially professional approach they broke the ice and together formed a friendly 15-member artistic team ready to present the 45-minute work output from the creative workshop as a possible part of the future great work, which will bring a real artistic and emotional experience to the audience at the premiere and two reruns in Banská Štiavnica and its surroundings.

“Home is where the blue sky is.”
(Petr Novotný)

PREMIERE OF THE PILOT

The premiere of the pilot street production HUMAN CARAVAN took place just one hour after the opening of the 8th International Festival of New cabaret & street art AMPLIFIER 2023 on Friday, September 22nd from 17:00 to 17:45. Approximately 80 to 90 spectators were guidedd from Holy Trinity Square to the gates of the Old Castle by the 22-member Dutch brass band Orkest de Tegenwind, which created a great atmosphere and the necessary anticipation of the audience.
The production was a simple story of a family with a dog who had to leave their home under dramatic circumstances. At first she tried in vain to return to it through a high wall in the style of an acrobatic grotesque, but soon realised that she had to embark on a long journey to find a new place to live. Already at this stage, the performers involved the audience in the action by letting them carry their ladder and luggage. Along the way, the family met a gypsy fortune teller who predicted an ambiguous fate for them from the big cards. At a fork in the woods, she and the spectators found a good-natured wanderer who showed the family members the way. However, it was full of pitfalls and danger. After wandering the forest trail for some time, they discovered a temporary residence in nature (the nest), but there they symbolically said goodbye to the father of the family, who had fallen defending their homeland. After further wandering with singing and music, the family discovered an old cart, which they managed to pull to the borders of a new, unknown country, but not without the help of the spectators.. After crossing it, dynamic dance-movement and even acrobatic scenes with clothes and sleeping bags were enacted in the new, free space, symbolizing not only the help from the natives, but also the rivalry between the family members and the cynical market society. Eventually, the wanderers settled into their new home, a cozily furnished traveling carriage, like itinerant circus performers whose new life was just beginning. Already, however, they felt what it was like to receive a helping hand. At the end, they personally shook hands with the spectators who decided to help them during their wanderings with their sweaters, food, or physical strength.
The production had the character of an errand theatre, the individual performances took place in a structure similar to the Stations of the Cross at the seven stops. The audience was greeted, accompanied and guided along the route by a delegate-moderator who promised at the beginning an excursion to a neighbouring country and an entertaining show. But what followed was an unexpected refugee tragedy with a long journey and an open ending in a new homeland. Almost the entire, otherwise essentially non-verbal production was carried by brooding ambient music from a portable loudspeaker and, at times, lively choral singing by performers with instruments, which captured and reinforced the atmosphere of exodus, the search for the promised land and, at the same time, happiness in adversity. The audience, with interest and patience, followed the entire march around the Old Castle through the forest path to the garden of the Scout House, where they rewarded the creators and performers with a long applause. It is therefore a great pity that in the following two days, due to the unfavourable rainy weather and the illness of one actress, it was not possible to carry out two more scheduled reruns at the Hájovna Cervena Studna on the outskirts of Banská Štiavnica and at the Kolping House Rest Area in Štiavnické Bane.
The pilot premiere of HUMAN CARAVANA was a laboratory for potential story, form, and interpersonal convergence through a street theatre of errands that, based on a refined script, will be staged in the spring of 2024 by the creators and performers of the four collaborating theatres under the name CIRCUS CARAVANA. The premiere is scheduled for the end of April in Krakow, with repeat performances in all V4 countries as well as in Ukraine.

“ICEBREAKING is uncovering the stereotypes in our heads.
Breaking down the pigeonholes into which we sort people − immediately, but forever.
Breaking the prejudices of our times.
Bonding with those we need to survive.”
(Jana Mikitková)

ICEBREAKING V4+UA
Report from the rehearsal process, premiere and reruns of CIRCUS CARAVANA

After the September premiere of the pilot Human Caravan, the dramaturg Ján Fakla (SK) to a shift in the content of the libretto of the future street production. The inspiration came from a newspaper article by Petra Procházková in Daily N* about the disintegration of the small Ukrainian circus Ilya Bosuk from Dnipro, whose members scattered all over Ukraine and abroad after the beginning of the war. The author duo Petr Novotný and Tomáš Kout (CZ) wrote a second version of the script over the course of two months (in three phases), following up the pilot by narrowing the subject matter, simplifying and elaborating the story in more detail. There was an agreement with the authors that the original indifferent Ukrainian family would be replaced by a concrete one − a circus family, and the wandering of the refugees with the caravan from the pilot version would be shifted to the search for a new home, or rather a place of action of the fleeing circus performers in the neighbouring European countries with the torso of the destroyed caravan. The basic dramaturgical story line is the situational encounters of the departees with the locals and their acceptance or rejection in order to gain the audience’s empathy and solidarity with the refugees, but also the threat of an imminent war that may reach us as well. The script, thus modified into its initial form for rehearsals, was adapted by dramaturg Ján Fakla and director Jana Mikitková (SK). They fine-tuned the individual situations and specified the types of characters representing the expatriates (five performers playing the stable roles of circus performers) and the locals in the V4 countries (five flexible actors playing different roles of local citizens).
The rehearsal process of the new production called CIRCUS CARAVANA began in January 2024 with the expansion of the creative team from the workshop and pilot in Banská Štiavnica. The original cast of eight grew to ten and eleven members (Daniela Voráčková and Angela Nwagbo from Prague (CZ) were added, Tereza Kmotorková was replaced by Dorottya Podmaniczky from Budapest (HU), and Henrich Žucha from Banská Štiavnica (SK) became both performer and technician). The author of the music has also changed, instead of the busy Martin Geišberg (SK), the acclaimed music creator Róbert Mankovecký (SK) has joined the creative collaboration. The direction of the new production was continued by Jana Mikitková (SK), supervised by the experienced director Jerzy Zoń (PL). The promo team was also strengthened for this stage of the project. The young social media manager Ema Rajčanová was joined by Eva Sládková, PR & media specialist, who gave the project visibility to national media such as Slovak Radio and Television (STVR) and to many online portals with a considerable reach.
* Daily N: Bachmut is becoming a ghost town. How Ilya and Vlado save those who are left, 15.11.2022

RESIDENCIES

At the first residency, which took place on 24 − 28 January 2024 at the Rubigall Club in Banská Štiavnica, the extended team of performers first got acquainted with the new libretto of the production, the concept of set design by Tomáš Žižka (CZ) and the costume design by Anna Weszelovszky (HU). Then the individual performers or pairs performed their own movement, acrobatic and circus numbers that could be an inspiration in the production. Afterwards, the director Jana Mikitková started arranging the first situations in the space and testing the work with new props (balloons, inflatable mannequins and silver cubes of different sizes), which were to be used during the production. The music creator Róbert Mankovecký came to test his singing and musical skills. In addition, the perfomers tried juggling and acting etudes according to specific situations in the script. The participants of the residency also watched the documentary film ICEBREAKING from the research in the V4 countries, which was prepared in the first phase of the project by the partners from Ukraine (produced by Liudmyla Batalova, directed by Sashko Brama), together with the locals in the local Art Cafe. The residency was also heavily promoted in the media thanks to the press release issued. A Slovak Television crew from the regional editorial office in Banská Bystrica came to Banská Štiavnica and also made direct entries into the STVR broadcast. The director Jana Mikitková was also interviewed live on Radio Slovakia after the residency.

The second residency took place from 14 to 18 February 2024 in Prague, in the ballroom of Lenka Vagnerova & Company’s Studio 8. During these rehearsals, the performers, under the guidance of the director, continued to elaborate and fix individual situations, which were invented in space and with the use of props by choreographer Ladislav Cmorej (SK). At the same time, the musician Róbert Mankovecký (SK) edited and adapted the previously prepared musical background of the stage music. In parallel, the scenographic layout of the caravan’s journey was drawn by the artist Tomáš Žižka (CZ). Costume designer Anny Weszelovszky (HU) continuously adjusted the size and functionality of the future costumes on the performers, which she produced in the nearby METEOR accommodation facility for refugees from Ukraine. Here, too, it was possible to combine the rehearsal process with the screening of the research documentary ICEBREAKING for the temporary residents of METEOR who attended a picnic in Libeň during the research. The refugees’ social evening with the performers was also recorded on the spot by Slovak RTVS editor Boris Kršňák, whose short report from the event was broadcast by Radio Slovakia.

During the third residency, which took place 20 − 24 March 2024 at the Inspiral Circus Centre in Budapest, rehearsals for the future street production continued with the arrangement of additional scenes. Work has already begun on a modified two-wheeled trailer, which in the form of a folding caravan torso was designed by set designer Tomáš Žižka (CZ) not only as a theatre-circus cart pulled by the principal of the circus family, but also as a mobile stage. A hint of the future circus stage was also created by a metal mast made of a purchased vertical folding Chinese pole with four straps, which hold its vertical stability for the spectators sitting on 8 chairs around the manege. The rehearsal process in the rehearsal space of the Hungarian New Circus focused mainly on the synergistic mastery of the acting, technical-acrobatic, juggling and movement components of all ten acts, which the creators completed and fixed together with continuously edited music. At the end of the camp, the first converging rehearsal of almost the entire future production took place in the personal presence of the supervisor Jerzy Zoń (PL), who, with the distance of an experienced director, provided all the creators, and especially the director, with professional and constructive critical feedback.

The fourth training camp, which took place in Krakow from 24 to 28 April 2024, was both a dress rehearsal and a premiere residency. The day-long rehearsals aimed at perfecting and mending the created images began in the smaller hall of Teatr Laźnia Nowa with an almost complete set, props and finished costumes. Gradually, all situations were refined, choreographies were completed, performances were connected and moves and rearrangements of individual scenes were rehearsed. At this stage, the appropriate form of the overall punchline − the conclusion of the production − was still being sought. The creators had a lively discussion about what moral starting point to offer the audience from the circus family’s journey to a new home. A dramatic touch with the horrors of war (a fire fight between the locals and the “invaders”), or an expression of empathy for the refugees (a celebration of life bringing everyone together). This dilemma of the creators carried over to Saturday’s dress rehearsal in the exterior of Krakow’s Grand Army Napoleon Square, with the participation of arranged and accidental spectators (about 80 in total). After it, during the evening feedback, the performers, together with the other creators, preferred from the director to implement a second − positively tuned − conclusion at the premiere. This, however, lacked a clear dramaturgical justification so far: a convincing dramatic change in the story and the related acting and movement motivations.

PREMIERES

The official public premiere of the theatre of social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees with the inhabitants of the V4 countries called CIRCUS CARAVANA took place on Sunday 28 April 2024 at the Grand Army Napoleon Square in Krakow. The pre-noon last rehearsal, where the new positive conclusion of the production was being finalized, was interrupted by rain showers, but at the 5:00 p.m. opening night the April weather had already settled down. The performance took place on a paving-concrete surface 25 x 30 m, the audience sat and/or stood in a semicircle, the backdrop was formed by trees and the high walls of Wawel Castle. The music and movement production with excellent artistic and acting performances by the international team of performers from Teatr KTO (PL), FIREBIRDS company (HU), Krvik Totr theatre collaborators (CZ) and the Ensemble of Irregular Theatre (SK) captivated children, adults and seniors alike. It lasted 76 minutes without intermission and was accompanied by laughter and applause of the audience. At the end of the performance, there was a joint vote of thanks by the artists present. The heavily publicized event (invitations, posters, newsletters, event and FB/Instagram posts) with no admission fee was purposely attended by approximately 150 to 200 spectators, with about that many randomly stopping by for a stroll and watching the performance from the Vistula riverfront promenade, so the opening night hosted approximately 350 to 400 people. The video of the premiere was produced by Ukrainian partner WE: MEDIA THEATRE, a two-minute trailer is available on YouTube.
On the same day, at 7:30 pm, the premiere of the short documentary THE CHIEF OF THE CIRCUS, about the fate of former Ukrainian principal Ilya Borsuk, who disbanded his small circus and became a volunteer because of the war, took place. Filmmaker and director Sashko Brama (UA) went with Ilya on a long journey with humanitarian aid to the frontline areas of Dnipro and recorded his life story. At the premiere of the film at the KTO Theatre, the audience (about 40) got to know the harrowing life of the Ukrainian population in the east of Ukraine. Afterwards, the filmmakers and the audience discussed the film with the director and the protagonist via an online stream. The premiere had a very strong emotional charge and also prompted a fundraiser to repair an old van for the former circus owner Ilya Borsuk. The film is available on YouTube.

RERUNS IN V4 COUNTRIES

Repeats of the new international music and movement street production CIRCUS CARAVANA by the Icebreaking Consortium were organised in cooperation with local organisers or international festivals in the V4 countries. The venues were also arranged taking into account the Ukrainian diaspora of UA expatriates, who were specially invited by the organisers to the rehearsals. They could not always be accurately identified in the audience; their number varied at each rerun. However, there were also those who approached the creators and performers after the performance and expressed their personal thanks.

The first reprise took place on Thursday 6th June 2024 in the North Moravian town of Krnov (CZ), where at 17:00 mainly young people and parents with children came to the centre on the Main Square. About 150 spectators were not discouraged even by a summer rain shower in the middle of the performance. They did not leave, on the contrary, they watched it from the benches in the auditorium mostly under umbrellas, which were promptly delivered by the local organizer (Edel gallery). Warmed up and relaxed, the performers performed the reprise in great shape and without interruption, even with a new elaborate ending, which they, together with the director and choreographer, rehearsed later in the morning with the natural interest of passers-by and especially the children from the kindergarten. Despite the weather, the audience enjoyed themselves and warmly appreciated the artistic and artistic performances and the “waterproofness” of the performers in the final applause. Shortly after the end of the rerun, a screening of the documentary film THE CHIEF OF THE CIRCUS took place in the Municipal Café. After it, AND members discussed the situation in Ukraine with the audience and local volunteers.

The second, third and fourth reprisals were organised by the partner Teatr KTO from Krakow (PL) as part of the 37th edition of the international festival ULICA. It also includes trips of artistic groups with their productions to neighbouring towns and also in the centre of Krakow. The interest and audience attendance in street performances has been high in these cities and especially in Krakow for many years. Since in this area Ukrainian emigrants make up to about 10% of the population, the participation of Ukrainian women and children was natural at the festival.
The second reprise took place in the small town of Limanowa (PL), where on a hot summer afternoon on 5th July 2024 at 16:00, about 140-150 local spectators came to watch the performance of CIRCUS CARAVANA. The local organizers provided chairs for seating and technical support on the uncovered open City Ring. The production stabilized, the performers put on great acting performances and totally sweated out the costumes. Despite the sultry weather, they kept the attention of the young and older audience with high tempo and heartfelt speeches until the final applause.

The organisers of the third reprise provided 80 beach loungers for the spectators at the Local Rynek (otherwise known as the parking lot) in the centre of Niepołomice (PL). The hot sun was roasting all day, and therefore every spectator who preferred CIRCUS CARAVANA to the swimming pool between 16:00 and 17:15 on 6th July 2024 was a cultural hero. Even greater was the international team of performers and technicians of the Icebreaking Consortium, who performed almost heroic feats on the red-hot square. In the end, they impressed as many as about 90 spectators, who appreciated their professional approach with their stamina and reactions in lying or standing position. The atmosphere was made more pleasant by the nearby water fountain.

The fourth reprise in the large Main Square in Krakow (PL) was the most challenging not only in terms of the large space, but especially to keep the attention of the large audience (850-1000 people), who watched the performance of CIRCUS CARAVANA from all four sides. It took place on Sunday 7th July 2024 at 13:00 during the culmination of The International Festival ULICA, where other street productions were taking place in parallel in the same square. Part of the audience at the front of the stage watched the performance on chairs and on the ground, part around behind barriers and part migrated around the square. It was not only a huge test of the performers’ acting skills, but also a test of the carrying capacity of the story and the idea of the production in such a huge space with all the surrounding hustle and bustle (café terraces, horse-drawn carriages, various sounds). The team of performers and technicians pulled it off with aplomb, but also with honour and a long final applause from a very appreciative audience.

The fifth reprise took place on 16th July 2024 at 18:15 in a pleasant early evening atmosphere at the 16th International Festival Behind the Door in Prague (CZ). In front of about 160-170 spectators, performers from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia presented in the exterior of the Holesovice Market Hall the story of circus performers fleeing from war and their (dis)acceptance in a European country. The performance was seen not only by the festival audience, Czech and foreign artists, numerous Prague from 3 to 99 years of age, but also Ukrainian viewers temporarily living in Prague. One of them, Olexandr, a former clown from Kharkiv, came to personally thank the performers for the performance, which gave him hope for a better future, and invited them to the clown festival he is preparing in Prague.

The sixth reprise on 21 September 2024 in Banská Štiavnica was also the Slovak premiere at 9th AMPLIFIER Festival − New Cabaret & Street Art 2024. It took place at 15:30 on the asphalt area of the Secondary Vocational School of Services and Forestry under the Drieňová housing estate, where many local spectators came from. The mixed festival audience included families with children, domesticated Ukrainian expatriates, overlanders from Banská Bystrica, Zvolen and other towns in Slovakia, about 140-150 people in total. The performance had a dynamic, smooth and steady course, the performers played convincingly and with high commitment, which was appreciated by the audience at the end with a long and hearty applause and in some places with shouts of “brava”.
All the performances were documented by local professional photographers provided by the individual project partners.

Recorded by Ján Fakla, AND n.o.