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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGelsomina in the World of Children \/ Pure Play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cWhen something is named, it most likely loses its magic,\u201d Thomas Beachdel, art historian<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And because play is in itself a kind of magic\u2014something unnamed\u2014I decided not to define things in \u201cGelsomina in the World of Children\u201d in pedagogical or any other terms. To leave play as play, in its exposed, pure, and purposeless form. In the present moment, in our lessons. Without explanations, without labels.\n\nGelsomina is my grotesque character from Fellini\u2019s film La Strada, into which I sometimes transform among the children. And we play. We let things flow as they come. Whatever appears, we play with it.\n\nIn this column, we will bring you records of our play with children. The rest is up to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gelsomina\u2019s arrival<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGelsomina appeared out of nowhere. In a long grey coat, with a crooked dwarf\u2019s cap and a slightly awkward gaze. She knocked on the door of the Mana studio and entered. The children froze.\n\nGelsomina observed them. In their eyes she could read distrust: \u201cWho is she? Can we trust her? Is she playing with us, or testing us?\u201d\n\nGelsomina only wanted to become friends, fool around, and play with the children. She loved play, and she knew that children love play too, so she decided to visit them at Mana. Because in theatre there is a world that both Gelsomina and the children longed for\u2014a world of imagination, of impossible things, of laughter and joy.\n\nA world we do not see, but which lives in our souls, heads, hearts, and thoughts. A world where everything is possible, yet everything is also safe and untouchable. Enclosed by a glowing circle of light visible only to those who play.\n\nA world where you fall but do not fall, where you slide but do not slip, where you feel sadness but are not sad. In theatre, there is nothing that cannot be touched and does not exist. A world of imagination that is both more truthful and safer than the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gelsomina decided to get straight to the point. She stood in the middle of the room. The children sat down and waited tensely for what would happen next.\n\nGelsomina searched in the pockets of her large coat and finally pulled out a piece of paper with relief. She looked at it triumphantly, smiled, and was about to read the first sentence. But the paper was blank. She turned it over. The other side was blank too.\n\nCompletely confused and uncertain, she stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do. Karmenka smiled at her. Gelsomina melted and winked back at Karmenka.\n\nKarmenka tiptoed over to her, and Gelsomina whispered something to her\u2014apparently something very important. Karmenka then signaled to the other children that they should stand up and that she had a message for them. She whispered something to them too, and the children ran to get another sheet of paper.\n\nThey rummaged in Gelsomina\u2019s bag until they found a written page and handed it to her. Among the children, Gelsomina was gaining courage.\n\nJust as she was about to read the first sentence, they heard the buzzing of a fly. Bzzzz. Cecilka, Chris, Meda, Eli, Laura, K\u00e1ja, Jen\u00edk, Ines, Esterka, Mia, Zlatka, and Karmenka began to chase the fly. They wanted to catch it and scold it for disturbing Gelsomina\u2019s speech, because they were afraid she might lose her courage again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, everything fell silent, and Cecilka triumphantly showed the others her clenched fist. From inside it, a sound could be heard: bzzz. Cecilka had caught the fly.\n\nThe children and Gelsomina began to clap, laugh, and sing: \u201cGelsomina, Gelsomina\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly the bubble burst and Gelsomina vanished. Her coat, dwarf cap, and even the fly disappeared. But the children did not forget her. The following week they asked: \u201cShall we play Gelsomina again?\u201d\n\nThat day Gelsomina did not come, but everyone knew she would return again someday. They just had to be very patient. Gelsomina always arrives unexpectedly. She appears like a star in the night sky\u2014like the magic of play that comes from somewhere, turns everything upside down, disappears, and then suddenly reappears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erika and the children from Rarach<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JWhat is Gelsomina like according to the children from Rarach (aged 7\u20139)? And what would they like to tell her?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nGelsomina is kind and nice, and in the theatre Gelsomina will be Erika. But that is a secret for the audience. And I would tell her that I like her, that I really enjoy drama classes, and that it is great there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
K\u00e1ja<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nA crazy lady. That\u2019s hard. She is just\u2026 just crazy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Cecilka <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWell, for me Gelsomina means that the character is played by Erika. So for Erika it means something, and she likes the character. I would like to tell Gelsomina that she has an original style and that her style is very nice. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Ines<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nGelsomina is really crazy, and she always forgets everything and tries to squeeze herself everywhere. She\u2019s just always very rushed and impulsive.\n\nI would like to tell Gelsomina to calm down a little, and to finally have her text the right way up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Mia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nGelsomina is very shy. She looks nice. She has a hood and always does something wrong. And I would tell her: You are very shy, but good. Sometimes you make funny jokes. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Jen\u00edk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nChris: Gelsomina is shy as an actress, and she always does something wrong, and it just never works for her. She keeps trying, but it still doesn\u2019t work. She is a very shy actress.\nMeda: When there is a performance, she messes it up every time.\n\n(Message to Gelsomina:)\nChris: I hope it will go better for you later.\nMeda: And try really hard.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Twins Chris and Meda<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gelsomina je postava, kter\u00e1 vznikla v ateli\u00e9ru TALENTu. Postupn\u011b se stala sou\u010d\u00e1st\u00ed spole\u010dn\u00e9 pr\u00e1ce s mlad\u0161\u00edmi d\u011btmi. D\u011bti ji p\u0159ijaly, za\u010daly s n\u00ed komunikovat, vstupovat do jej\u00edch p\u0159\u00edb\u011bh\u016f a d\u00e1l je rozv\u00edjet. Vznikl tak \u017eiv\u00fd vztah, kter\u00fd se neust\u00e1le prom\u011b\u0148uje. Natolik, \u017ee d\u011bti 8-11 let samy navrhly p\u0159ejmenov\u00e1n\u00ed sv\u00e9 skupiny na \u201eGelsomi\u0148\u00e1ci\u201c. Gelsomina nen\u00ed hotov\u00e1 … Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5489","page","type-page","status-publish"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
Gelsomina appeared out of nowhere. In a long grey coat, with a crooked dwarf\u2019s cap and a slightly awkward gaze. She knocked on the door of the Mana studio and entered. The children froze.\n\nGelsomina observed them. In their eyes she could read distrust: \u201cWho is she? Can we trust her? Is she playing with us, or testing us?\u201d\n\nGelsomina only wanted to become friends, fool around, and play with the children. She loved play, and she knew that children love play too, so she decided to visit them at Mana. Because in theatre there is a world that both Gelsomina and the children longed for\u2014a world of imagination, of impossible things, of laughter and joy.\n\nA world we do not see, but which lives in our souls, heads, hearts, and thoughts. A world where everything is possible, yet everything is also safe and untouchable. Enclosed by a glowing circle of light visible only to those who play.\n\nA world where you fall but do not fall, where you slide but do not slip, where you feel sadness but are not sad. In theatre, there is nothing that cannot be touched and does not exist. A world of imagination that is both more truthful and safer than the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gelsomina decided to get straight to the point. She stood in the middle of the room. The children sat down and waited tensely for what would happen next.\n\nGelsomina searched in the pockets of her large coat and finally pulled out a piece of paper with relief. She looked at it triumphantly, smiled, and was about to read the first sentence. But the paper was blank. She turned it over. The other side was blank too.\n\nCompletely confused and uncertain, she stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do. Karmenka smiled at her. Gelsomina melted and winked back at Karmenka.\n\nKarmenka tiptoed over to her, and Gelsomina whispered something to her\u2014apparently something very important. Karmenka then signaled to the other children that they should stand up and that she had a message for them. She whispered something to them too, and the children ran to get another sheet of paper.\n\nThey rummaged in Gelsomina\u2019s bag until they found a written page and handed it to her. Among the children, Gelsomina was gaining courage.\n\nJust as she was about to read the first sentence, they heard the buzzing of a fly. Bzzzz. Cecilka, Chris, Meda, Eli, Laura, K\u00e1ja, Jen\u00edk, Ines, Esterka, Mia, Zlatka, and Karmenka began to chase the fly. They wanted to catch it and scold it for disturbing Gelsomina\u2019s speech, because they were afraid she might lose her courage again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, everything fell silent, and Cecilka triumphantly showed the others her clenched fist. From inside it, a sound could be heard: bzzz. Cecilka had caught the fly.\n\nThe children and Gelsomina began to clap, laugh, and sing: \u201cGelsomina, Gelsomina\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly the bubble burst and Gelsomina vanished. Her coat, dwarf cap, and even the fly disappeared. But the children did not forget her. The following week they asked: \u201cShall we play Gelsomina again?\u201d\n\nThat day Gelsomina did not come, but everyone knew she would return again someday. They just had to be very patient. Gelsomina always arrives unexpectedly. She appears like a star in the night sky\u2014like the magic of play that comes from somewhere, turns everything upside down, disappears, and then suddenly reappears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erika and the children from Rarach<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JWhat is Gelsomina like according to the children from Rarach (aged 7\u20139)? And what would they like to tell her?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gelsomina is kind and nice, and in the theatre Gelsomina will be Erika. But that is a secret for the audience. And I would tell her that I like her, that I really enjoy drama classes, and that it is great there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n K\u00e1ja<\/p>\n\n\n\n A crazy lady. That\u2019s hard. She is just\u2026 just crazy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Cecilka <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, for me Gelsomina means that the character is played by Erika. So for Erika it means something, and she likes the character. I would like to tell Gelsomina that she has an original style and that her style is very nice. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Ines<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gelsomina is really crazy, and she always forgets everything and tries to squeeze herself everywhere. She\u2019s just always very rushed and impulsive.\n\nI would like to tell Gelsomina to calm down a little, and to finally have her text the right way up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Mia<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gelsomina is very shy. She looks nice. She has a hood and always does something wrong. And I would tell her: You are very shy, but good. Sometimes you make funny jokes. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Jen\u00edk<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris: Gelsomina is shy as an actress, and she always does something wrong, and it just never works for her. She keeps trying, but it still doesn\u2019t work. She is a very shy actress.\nMeda: When there is a performance, she messes it up every time.\n\n(Message to Gelsomina:)\nChris: I hope it will go better for you later.\nMeda: And try really hard.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Twins Chris and Meda<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gelsomina je postava, kter\u00e1 vznikla v ateli\u00e9ru TALENTu. Postupn\u011b se stala sou\u010d\u00e1st\u00ed spole\u010dn\u00e9 pr\u00e1ce s mlad\u0161\u00edmi d\u011btmi. D\u011bti ji p\u0159ijaly, za\u010daly s n\u00ed komunikovat, vstupovat do jej\u00edch p\u0159\u00edb\u011bh\u016f a d\u00e1l je rozv\u00edjet. Vznikl tak \u017eiv\u00fd vztah, kter\u00fd se neust\u00e1le prom\u011b\u0148uje. Natolik, \u017ee d\u011bti 8-11 let samy navrhly p\u0159ejmenov\u00e1n\u00ed sv\u00e9 skupiny na \u201eGelsomi\u0148\u00e1ci\u201c. Gelsomina nen\u00ed hotov\u00e1 … Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5489","page","type-page","status-publish"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
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