European school theater festival

May, 10th - 16th 2009 in Vaste-Kuuste

In the evening of May 10^th the project partners from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy and Turkey arrived in the community of Vastse-Kuuste ,a small place with just 1300 inhabitants. For some of the participants it had been a long journey by bus, train and plane to the meeting place. We were accommodated in a former holiday camp from the Soviet days: the houses with modern facilities are scattered in a fores-like compound with woods, meadows, the river Ahja with its sandy cliffs, and small farms and lakes nearby.

Our visit in the small community was one of the highlights of the year, as never before so many foreign visitors had ever visited it at the same time, which Inge Kalle, headmistress of Vastse-Kuuste-Kool, remarked in her receptional speech. Accordingly, the guests were warmly received with official speeches and presents at the school, by the mayor at his office, in the kindergarten and in the village shop. The children of Vastse-Kuuste-Kool travelled the long distance from the village to the camp on foot or by bike to play basketball with the international guests or dance in the makeshift disco. Thus many contacts between the students and the guests were established. Due to the professional organization of the festival by the two teachers who were responsible for the Comenius project at Vastse-Kuuste-Kool everything went smoothly to everyone’s full satisfaction.

Apart from the extra programme consisting of excursions to old manors, the Setu minority and a large bog area, which gave us an impression of the history, culture,and geography of South Estonia, the original aim of the meeting formed its central part: the finale of our successful EYES Comenius theatre project, which has come to an end with this second theatre festival.

The basic idea for the seven theatre plays written and developed by the students dealt with the problems connected with friendship, and the use of alcohol and drugs . After a wild drinking and drug feast in a park the initial scene ends with one of the youths fainting. With this as a starting point, the students had developed their own plays. It was interesting to observe how this common beginning had produced some very diverse results. The German play, for instance, centred on the questions of Aids, loyalty, friendship and love. Other groups focussed on how to handle alcohol and drugs, and the future perspectives of young people, family conflicts and friendship. The plays were presented in the house of culture in Vastse-Kuuste and were a great success with the audience.

The same can be said about the visit in Estonia and the project as such, which were and are part of the Programme for Lifelong Learning of the EU. All in all, far more than a hundred students participated in the meetings, preparatory visits, in writing and performing the plays. Through their visits in the other countries and the contacts with the people living there they gained insight into their cultures, established friendships, and widened their geographical and intellectual horizon. But, foremost, they and the teachers who took part in the project enjoyed it a lot. And among the many opportunities for learning this is one of the greatest.

... And unfortunately this was the last meeting of the EYES-project! THANKS to everybody who was involved!

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