Musical Performance for Children “Owl Drūlija 1”

Owl Drūlija 1 | How Drūlija Searched for Patience | A musical performance for children "Owl Drūlija" is the first series of a musical performance by the "Lietuva" ensemble, which won the hearts of countless children and their parents, later inspiring the creation of a full trilogy. Owl Drūlija is a character created by Inga Narijauskienė, author of therapeutic stories, who only much later – after becoming an early childhood education specialist and a grandmother – had the stories she used to tell at home written down and given a life of their own. Today Drūlija is considered one of the most successful and best-loved characters of the younger generation, both in children's literature and on the musical theatre stage. The first part is based on one of the author's tales, "How Owl Drūlija Searched for Patience." One morning, Owl Drūlija tastes some peas and decides she wants to grow her own, but as soon as she plants them she learns that patience is needed for peas to grow big and juicy. Not knowing what patience is or where to find it, the owl heads into the forest to look for it. In the performance, Drūlija meets characters children already know – a little caterpillar, baby woodpeckers, Taputapas the elephant and Umba the squirrel – all of them waiting for something, and all finding different ways to do it without getting bored: "When you play while you wait, / Waiting isn't hard, / Time flies quickly by / With a little motor running." The character's creator, I. Narijauskienė, who studied early childhood development for many years, gives the owl not only a playful but also a complex children's inner world. The witty, multi-layered story allows children not only to identify with the character but also to find a way through some of the less simple stages of child development – both for the little ones and for their parents. The author provides tools for solving problems playfully and creatively. The forest where Drūlija discovers patience in the performance will sound distinctly Lithuanian. Instruments such as the birbynė, kanklės and skrabalai (traditional Lithuanian folk instruments) will weave through it. The story itself will also be interwoven with Lithuanian folk games, sutartinės (traditional polyphonic songs), and the tender, magical relationship with nature that is so familiar to all Lithuanians. By nurturing Lithuanian folk art on stage, we aim to shape the identity of the younger generation in a way that is both relevant and inspiring – something our grandparents grew up with, our parents grew up with, we grew up with, and our children will grow up with too. "The 'Lietuva' ensemble has long pursued this mission – introducing children to national art. Not only through performances for children, but also through educational programmes that a large share of Lithuanian schools attend. The appearance of this particular Owl is special to me, as I knew the writer Inga Narijauskienė well – my daughter and I attended the classes for toddlers that she led. While raising her son Pijus, Inga began telling stories about Owl Drūlija, so the character's stories have been growing for more than twenty years now. The performance, too, has been shaped a great deal at home – by me while raising my daughter, by Inga while raising her son, and by Pijus himself while raising his own son," says director Giedrė Kriaučionytė-Vosylienė, who works with the "Lietuva" ensemble. "From the very first minutes, the little ones were drawn into the magical world of the story: they were captivated by the cheerful characters and the music-filled scenes. The children's eyes lit up with wonder, and many kept repeating the performance's funniest lines long afterward. The story encouraged imagination and positive emotions. The live music performed on Lithuanian instruments made a strong impression. Thank you for creating such a festive mood" – these are the kinds of comments from teachers and parents that continue to appear on social media. The premiere of "Owl Drūlija" was successfully staged in December 2024 and is now returning to the repertoire. The second series of the performance, "Owl Drūlija and the Sleepy Yawns," was shown in December 2025 and continues its tour in 2026. This December brings the third instalment – "Owl Drūlija and the Day of NO." As is tradition, school classes and groups are invited each year to attend performances at the "Lietuva" ensemble's own premises during the Christmas period. Creative team: Book author – Inga Narijauskienė Director – Giedrė Kriaučionytė-Vosylienė Libretto author – Daiva Čepauskaitė Composers – Silvija Miliūnaitė, Pijus Narijauskas Choreographer – Aušra Krasauskaitė Set and costume designer – Antanas Dubra Conductor – Egidijus Kaveckas Tickets are available here.

Adresas: Šokio teatras