Life is a journey

Project of the Jan Dorman Zagłębia Children's Theatre in Będzin in cooperation with the Quatronum Foundation.

“Life is a journey” is an intergenerational socio-artistic project, the idea of which is to create a space for meeting, dialogue and joint action of people representing different generations and diverse life experiences. Seniors, young people, people with disabilities and professional artists will participate in the project. Joint creative work will become the starting point for creating a performance based on the personal experiences of the participants, their memories, emotions and reflections on life, transience, interpersonal relationships and values that remain with us in the next stages of our life path.

The main metaphor of the project will be “life baggage”. Every person, regardless of age or experience, accumulates in him memories, dreams, successes, failures, important meetings and parting. With the passage of time, questions arise about what is really important in this luggage, what we want to keep and what we can leave behind. There is also a reflection on what mark we leave in other people's lives.

It is these universal questions that will become the starting point for a common artistic process and the basis of the emerging performance.

The idea and meaning of the project. The project assumes the active participation of all its participants in the creative process. Seniors, young people and people with disabilities will not only be recipients of cultural activities, but will become co-creators of them.

Participation in the project will allow participants to express their own experiences and emotions through the language of the theater and will create an opportunity to develop creativity, build a sense of agency and strengthen self-confidence. The opportunity to perform on the professional stage will also be an important personal and social experience.

One of the most important dimensions of the project will be the meeting of different generations and backgrounds. Joint artistic work will create conditions for mutual knowledge, exchange of experiences and building relationships based on respect, openness and empathy.

Benefits for participants: For seniors, the project will be an opportunity to actively participate in cultural life, develop their own creativity and share experience with younger generations. It will also be a space to show that age does not limit the need to create, take on new challenges and actively participate in social life.

For young people, participation in the project will become an opportunity to meet the experience of older generations and people with diverse histories and perspectives. Working together can foster empathy, openness, and greater understanding of other people's experiences.

For people with disabilities, the project will be an opportunity to actively and fully participate in the professional artistic space. It will allow to present their potential, sensitivity, individual talents and creative possibilities.

For professional artists, it will be a unique opportunity to collaborate with people whose authentic stories and experiences can become a source of inspiration and impetus to search for new means of artistic expression.

Social dimension: “Life is a journey” is a project that builds a space of dialogue and integration through art. It breaks down barriers related to age, disability and social stereotypes, showing that every person, regardless of their history and way of functioning, has something important to say.

The project is based on the belief that culture can be a tool for building relationships, enhancing social participation and creating a more open, empathetic and supportive society.

For the audience: The resulting performance, which will be premiered on 16 October at 18:00 on the stage of the Jan Dorman Children's Theatre of Zagłębia in Będzin, will not only be an artistic event, but also an invitation to personal reflection.

For viewers: This project will become an opportunity to stop and ask yourself: What is really important in my life journey? What would I like to keep? What can I leave behind? What trace do I leave in other people?

Summary: The implementation of the project requires the involvement of artists, participants and partners who believe that culture can have a real impact on the quality of life and social relations.

“Life is a journey” is an investment not only in the creation of the show. It is an investment in people, relationships, integration, intergenerational dialogue and access to culture. It is a project about meeting people who, despite their differences, can find a common language.

“Life is a journey” is not just about passing away. It tells above all about man, his experiences, memory and the mark he leaves in the lives of others.

Project implemented with the support of: