Psilicone theatre presents
performance for the whole family

"GREENHOUSE STORIES"

30 min. performance of miniature silicone puppets

The prehistory of "Greenhouse Stories"

                      In 2010 Psilicone theatre was invited to create live video projections for the modern staging of the chamber opera for children “Flower Girl” (1976) by Vladas Švedas,
a classic of modern Lithuanian music. The impressions gained from this work and the experience of collaboration with children in video workshops we run since 2004 led us to create this new performance.

The idea:

Fairy stories about the origin of species reached us from the ancient times. We inherited wonderful legends explaining the birth of flowers, trees and other plants. Today the rapid and negative changes in ecosystem enforce us to record the dramatic stories of extinction.
"Greenhouse stories" are exploring contemporary mythology of extinction focusing on silent and vulnerable biology of plants.
In collaboration with botanists of Kaunas Botanical garden we had investigated few vanishing plant species. Scientific facts about their vegetation are transformed to drama piece including music, silicone puppet play and visual effects based on botany.
Performance reveals secret life of plants - weak species are replaced by stronger ones, plants are fighting, migrating, trying to survive. The play introduces children to rare plants, motivates to protect and take care of them.
"Greenhouse stories" helps to notice hardly visible botanical drama and to hear the call for help from those who are silent.

Peculiarities of the performance:

1. Enlargement
Psilicone theatre performance is based on the play of miniature silicone puppets which becomes visible as a large and bright video projection. This video principle can focus on small-sized things and problems, make them visible and important.
2. Shade of science
We take silicone imprints directly from the surfaces of real plants and use them to make silicone puppets. So the authentic plant patterns are perpetuated in silicone. Such tough and resistant material can securely preserve plant imprints for a long time. The collection of silicone puppets personalising various plants reminds herbarium. Scientific information and fantasy meets each other in silicone herbarium.
3. Performance is adjusted to unconventional spaces – conservatories, greenhouses, meadows and gardens.

Characters and short synopsis

The main hero of the play is Flower Girl. She is smaller than thumb, but very brave. Flower Girl starts on the journey trying to uncover hidden greenhouse secret. On the way she meets not only well known plants like poppy and coltsfoot, but also some rare species like Cypripedium calceolus. Every plant has his own problem and asks Flower Girl for help. She is very helpful and plants award her with their special powers. She uses power of plants in very complicated moments of her journey ant it helps her to escape from greedy mice which are growing genetically modified cereal, to overcome desert dangers, to outwit the lion and to know the greenhouse secret.