This year's International Children's Day celebrations at the National Theatre in Košice will be exceptionally rich. During the first weekend of June, two new productions for young audiences will premiere: the ballet THE LITTLE PRINCE and the drama ABOUT PAĽO, WHO WAS NOT AFRAID OF ANY DEVIL. The theatre is also preparing a special program for children on Saturday, June 1, which will include popular creative workshops, a costume exhibition, and a concert version of the new opera project 'Little Orchestra.'
After nearly twenty years, the stage of the Historic Building of the National Theatre Košice will see the revival of the ballet fairy tale inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's famous book, The Little Prince, on Saturday, June 1. 'Exupéry's Little Prince continues to surprise with its purity and kind understanding of the world we live in. It is a kind of contemporary Bible that, through the eyes of a child, finds our flaws and offers solutions on how to deal with them. It looks at the superficial world, full of incivility, destruction of traditions, and senseless wars, with love, understanding, and hope,' say the creators of the new production. The script, based on Exupéry's book, was written by Ondrej Šoth and Zuzana Mistríková, with Ondrej Šoth also handling direction and choreography. The music was composed by the legendary Michal Pavlíček, and David Spáčil contributed films in the genre of Laterna Magika.
The next day, Sunday, June 2, the Small Stage of the National Theatre Košice will host the premiere of the new play About Paľo, Who Was Not Afraid Of Any Devil. Written by actor and director Peter Cibula, this play is based on the fairy tales of Pavol Dobšinský. The story is narrated by an angel and a devil, representing good and evil, who observe and comment on human behavior, offering interaction with the audience. They symbolize the good and bad within us, and our choices determine our path. "To know where we want to go, we should know where we come from. And so, we return to the time of our ancestors. Old folk proverbs remind us of the wisdom of common sense, like the saying - lies have short legs. With humility and goodness in your heart, you can succeed and communicate with the whole world. How will our Paľo be doing? His journey—joyful and dangerous, filled with humor and songs—will transform him from a boy into a young man," hint the creators. The production team includes dramaturge Peter Himič, set and costume designers Jaroslav and Miroslav Daubrava, and composer Zuzana Eperješiová. The fairy tale will be brought to life by Adriana Ballová, Lívia Michalčík Dujavová, Katarína Horňáková, Janka Balková, Róbert Šudík, Juraj Zetyák, Tomáš Diro, and Martin Stolár.
