Urban legend-based plays in Open-Air Theatre Festival ‘Mozaika’
The aim of the project – to support cooperation between European Capitals of Culture and to
encourage international exchange of artists and art. .
International Open-Air Theatre Festival ‘Mozaika’ – a several year project during which
various forms of open-air theatre in European Capitals of Culture will be revealed through urban
legend-based plays, traditions and cultural experience.
Organiser – Vilnius Oldtown Theatre that has been organising International Vilnius Open-Air
Theatre Festivals for three years. The participants of the festival were theatres from France,
Poland, Austria, Denmark, and Lithuania. The peculiarity of the theatre – organising
performances and plays in unusual spaces: streets, squares, neglected places and the remains of
cultural heritage, the purpose of it is to call the public attention to the lost heritage, churches,
castles, parks, open-air performances, pageants etc.
The purport of International Open-Air Theatre Festival ‘Mozaika’ is to perform staged legendbased plays of European Capitals of Culture during Capital Days. In 2008 we are going to
perform the plays in Liverpool, Stavanger, 2009 – the legend-based plays of Liverpool,
Stavanger, Linz will be performed in Vilnius, in 2010 the plays will be showed in Pecs and
Essen. This is how the plays are travelling from one capital of culture to another. The legendbased play of the host country takes place, becomes the centrepiece for the other plays. Vilnius
festival could be a fundamental for the festivals in other countries.
The time of the festival – 19th–23rd September. During the main day of the festival, legend-based
plays are going to be performed in the streets, which characters (puppets up to 3 metres height)
will be called together by Ofor (a character of the legend about St. Christopher). During the
following days the programme will present circus acts, fakirs, fire-eaters, puppet-plays etc.
Seminars, lectures are going to be organized as well as classes where professionals will teach
walking on buskins, jugglery. During the public days students will have an opportunity to
perform with the professionals. The programme will target to communicate with all the people
interested in cultural development, its role and the ways of expression. During the conference
open-air theatre traditions of the members of the EU will be reviewed as well as further plans of
the festival, perspectives will be discussed. The film that will create overview of the festival will
be made. Seminars and lectures are going to take place. All the events will be free of charge.
International Open-Air Theatre Festival ‘Mozaika’ aims to involve in the project the
representatives of different spheres (actors, costume designers, artists, journalists, musicians etc.)
from different European countries. Different perspectives will be connected, which will allow
looking at creative work with a different viewpoint, because experts from different spheres can
notice unusual, stereotype free details.
We are looking for partners interested in this idea and the opportunity to present the open-air
theatre traditions. We are looking forward to getting any proposal from the countries of the EU
that will be European Capital of Culture in the near future. Partners take part in the festivals
organized by the other countries and organize festival in their country. Mosaic, that glints with
various colours in different countries.
We are looking forward to getting any proposal or interests in participating at the following
address:
Vilniaus Senamiesčio teatras,
Naugarduko 20, LT-03225 Vilnius
E-mail: steatras@gmail.com
Tel.: +370/68791661
Manager: Laima Trainavičienė