How many frogs does the moon weigh?

The King's life is orderly and full of duties, filled with audiences, conferences, and speeches. One day this order is disturbed by the appearance of a mysterious, extremely inquisitive Boy. The child fills the adult with a barrage of questions he doesn't know the answers to — including how much a frog weighs the moon. Out of balance, the King decides to quickly get rid of the intrusion and get back to work. However, it will not be so simple.

The Art of Malina Weddings is a story about a busy adult whose world has no place for interpersonal relationships, and about a vulnerable child who turns his life upside down. After all, the meeting of the King and the Boy could happen anywhere: at school, in the family home, on the street, so it can be interpreted differently by children and their parents. But it should give hope to everyone, regardless of age, that the other person can be reached — and that the effort is worth making.

Agata Kucińska — actress, director and educator — decided in her latest performance to combine dolls with the author's technique of “painting with light”, created by the Wrocław group Cloud Theater. The artists present on stage during each performance will paint elements of the depicted world live, creating a unique, multimedia scenography.

The drama Malina Przegi was awarded in the 29th Competition for Children and Youth Art, organized by the Children's Art Center in Poznań (2018) and published in the 44th issue of New Arts for Children and Young People. Description of the play in simple language The main characters of the play are the busy King and the curious Boy. The boy appears in the palace of the King, no one knows from where. He asks the ruler many strange questions—including how much the moon weighs frogs. The king initially refuses to talk to him. He tells the guards to chase him away. The clever boy does not give up. The ruler decides to get rid of him once and for all. She takes the Boy on a trip to the moon and abandons him there. However, he quickly regrets this decision.Actors play both in a live set, that is, they embody characters, and animate (bring to life) dolls. Each character has its puppet counterpart. The actors and dolls are dressed similarly. The king wears a checkered tailcoat and crown. The boy is wearing a yellow sweater, and the guards are wearing blue-red uniforms and hats. There is also a life-size zebra on the stage, animated by the actors from the inside.An important element of the performance are video projections — unusual, because they are created live. Their author draws digital pictures during the performance, which are immediately displayed on the stage. This is how, among other things, the rocket is created, with which the heroes fly to the Moon.

photo: Natalia Kabanow