Three-country team brings sensory Light Garden to Tartu theatre

A sensory production created by artists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will premiere at the Tartu New Theatre on August 12, ERR reported. “Valgusaed,” or “Light Garden,” was created by the Tartu New Theatre and Big Wolf Company.

Author Grete Grossi said the production was conceived as a counterweight to everyday noise and haste, offering a safe, gentle and slow space for people with sensory hypersensitivity.

The performance combines aerial acrobatics, storytelling and projections. The audience becomes a direct participant, entering the centre of a fairytale-like world.

Latvian dramaturge and storyteller Elisa Kundi-Matvejeva is a co-author of the production, while Lithuanian artist Paulius Jakubenas designed the lighting and video. Storytellers Kõõt Saar and Kristiine-Eliise Kadakas perform on stage.

The international troupe has worked on the production since January. Preparatory residencies took place at the Riga Circus, the Visaginas Cultural Centre and the Põlva Cultural Centre.

“Light Garden” grew out of an ideas competition announced by the Tartu New Theatre at the end of last year. Theatre manager Maarja Mänd said the theatre wanted to offer its space, support and expertise to creators who lacked those resources.

Performances will take place from August 12 to 14 and will begin with a walk that culminates in the Tartu New Theatre auditorium. Audiences can choose between daytime and late-evening shows. Inside the theatre, they will remove their shoes and experience the performance while sitting or lying on the floor.

The production is intended for audiences aged five and older.