Premiere! Mrs. Meier and the Little Bird

Once upon a time, there lived Mr. and Mrs. Meier. Mrs. Meier was worried about everything. She worried about the weather, about disasters, about what might happen. The Shadow of Worry lived in her imagination, constantly creating catastrophic scenarios, so she tried to anticipate, control and protect herself from everything. Mr. Meier lived quite differently. He calmly accepted each day as it came and, when the world seemed too complicated, immersed himself in the ritual of drinking tea. And so their lives went on as usual. Until one day, a little bird appeared in their garden—Ciepukė. From that day on, the Meiers’ world begins to change. Play, surprises, closeness and ever more love enter their everyday lives.

Wolf Erlbruch (1948–2022) was a German children’s book author and illustrator, and one of the leading creators of contemporary children’s literature. His work is distinguished by its philosophical depth, subtle humour, existential themes and highly recognisable hand-drawn collage style.

Today, when anxiety about the future, insecurity and constant threats have become part of many people’s everyday lives, Mrs. Meier’s story feels especially relevant. The performance speaks about the possibility of freeing oneself from constant fear through connection with another, care and love. As she raises Ciepukė, Mrs. Meier changes too—learning to let go of control and discover inner freedom. Love becomes a force that helps free us from fear and gives us wings.

The creators share their thoughts about the performance:

“A performance about a true feeling, one that transforms, liberates and paints the world in different colours...” (Lijana Muštašvili)

“Small things every day—a path to a great love of life.” (Erika Gaidauskaitė)

“A performance about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.” (Karolis Butvidas)

“‘Mrs. Meier’ is a bible of sensitivity and anxiety for me. A wonderfully tender story about the crookedness and uniqueness in each of us. About how being a little askew, imperfect and distinctive is not a flaw, but one of our most beautiful qualities.” (Neringa Keršulytė)

“In the performance, the boundary between reality and illusory reality quietly disappears; dreams are no less important, no less real, than our everyday lives.” (Andrius Šiurys)

“It is a story about love that gives you wings.” (Justina Jukonytė)