The opera ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’, one of the most beloved stories, was performed for pupils of the ‘Branko Radičević’ Primary School in the Egység Cultural Station on 18 November.
We all remember Aesop’s fable about the lazy Grasshopper that constantly plays, sings and doesn’t care about winter and the hard-working Ant that is ready to welcome winter by gathering food and firewood. The story carries a clear message, and that is: ‘Who works, he earns’ or ‘Who works is not afraid of hunger’. However, isn’t it nice when someone plays and sings? Doesn’t music and art make man and society better? The ‘Visoko C’ Association of Artists presents this story a bit differently, trying to correct centuries of injustice done to the professional musician Grasshopper.
In the beginning, children learned about protagonists, their characters and everyday life. Afterwards, they were thinking whether they would side with the Grasshopper or the Ant while answering the questions. The play is designed for children to participate interactively all the time. They discussed with actors whether it is better to play or work on one hand, or to work while listening to and playing music on the other. In addition to the two main actors, the stage was embellished with the forest fairy that communicated with children through dance and music.
The extraordinary performance dedicated to children sent even more important message from the one focusing on material satisfaction, which is that the most important things in life such as love, laugh and friendship are actually free.
