THE GIRL WITH A GUN || A puppet and object theatre performance for children

This is the story of a young girl, Magdė, whose parents and entire family were deported to Siberia at the end of the Second World War, during the transition of power from the retreating German army to the invading Soviets. With the help of her teacher, who is also a partisan, Magdė finds shelter in a forest bunker. She eventually joins the resistance herself, saving numerous lives. The narrative is based on historical documents, the memoirs of freedom fighters and eyewitnesses, and the true story of a girl who lived in a partisan bunker, as told by a former resistance liaison. This performance is about the courage and survival instincts of the most vulnerable among us—children—in extreme situations. Despite the heavy historical context and difficult personal trials, the story remains warm and witty. Magdė, forced to grow up in a single day, confesses to a carved wooden figure of the Pensive Christ (Rūpintojėlis) that she is actually a huge coward. Yet, without even knowing what partisans or bunkers are, she bravely faces her new reality and the unknown. After all, courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to face it and take action. Filled with action, the play preserves the witty tone of the book on which it is based. Magdė and her Teacher, the sole survivors of the bunker's destruction, share the stage to recount the events as they remember them. The audience members become active participants, helping to bring this gripping and inspiring story of survival to life. "Both the composer and I grew up listening to our parents' stories about our partisan grandparents, which makes this project deeply personal," says the director. "There is hardly a family in Lithuania untouched by war, deportations, or the resistance. In today's global context, these stories need to be told over and over again. They remind us that even when facing a vastly superior enemy, defending our values is always worth it—because it is thanks to them that we are free today."

Adresas: Vilniaus teatras „Lėlė“