Support grieving children and families in Slovakia

Plamienok n.o. cares about incurably diseased children, so they can spend their last moments in the family circle till the end. Besides that, it offers psychological help after the loss of a close person – when a parent loses a child, or when a child loses a partent or a sibling. In the framework of this help, we offer the children therapeutic group sessions. This year, we founded a child theatrical group Plamienok, where we utilized drama-therapeutic procedures and rehearsed an act about the loss: A journey to a land, where we miss someone. Experience the moments right before the premiere with the eyes of Lucia Kralovicová.

The auditorium is slowly filling with spectators. The excitement rises. Six pairs of children eyes stares through the gaps in the curtain. “Look, there is my mom!” “And I have both grandmas here, gosh, that’s stress”. I also have a strange feeling in my stomach, but I push it away and encourage the children “just remember, if you make a mistake, carry on as if nothing has happened. Only you know how it should be, not the spectators.” The last moments before the premiere are like from a movie: “spit-spit-spit” and a kick in the back for luck (as it is done for premieres). Then quickly, the actors move silently to their spots behind the curtains. I walk to the lightning dashboard and change myself to a lightning manager, just to occupy my jittery mind and heart.

Six children put their head over the parapet at March 16^th 2017, after sixteen meetings. They are not just playing their roles, they play their own stories. The stories of loss, which is brought by death. Losses of someone important – mother, brother. Sometimes, it is hard to even think about the loss, not to mention speaking about it, but theater? I was also in doubts, but I believed in the children, with who we walked a long way on our therapeutic meetings. And now I say: “Theater? Yes.” We said to ourselves, that we are strong enough. Strong enough to show, through the theater, a piece of the experience of loosing. And, to discover, that after the gloomy and rainy days full of tears, anger and the question “why?” a sun may shine again. That the stars, even when we do not see them, are in heaven all the time. That we do not want the adults to lie to the children. That our memories are only ours. That we now walk the life more better. That we are not alone. When the smallest child on the stage, Lenka, looks at the stars and silently asks: “Can my mom be in my heart and at the same time a star in the sky? I feel her close” – I know, that the piece was successful.

Bows                                                                                                                                                  Applause