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The 2023 season is over - see you next year!
Summer is drawing to a close. We'd like to thank so many of you for taking part in our Tales & Legends Festival, as well as the Medieval Festivals, which have become a real must-see event in the region. All this is thanks to you, but also to our volunteers, without whom nothing would be possible.
The medieval festivities: August 14 and 15!
Transport yourself back several centuries during the 25th Fêtes Médiévales, taking place on Monday August 14 and Tuesday August 15, 2023 at Mortemer Abbey! Take advantage of the day's entertainment, stroll along the Chemin des Ducs and visit the Theme Apartments and the Museum of Ghosts and Legends.
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Prodigious stories
Prodigious stories
Show of String Puppets
For adults and children
By Vitas Kraujelis
Created in 2013
The magic of the live show still carries the young audience out. Nothing can replace the theatre presentation where everything is happening under adults and children eyes.
The Mortemer Abbey team is happy to announce the creation of a new puppet show.
This show is created from the old texts. It is some tales. “Le vilain et l’oiseau” is extracted from “Conversations d’un père à son fils” dated from the Middle Ages. « LA CHEMISE D’UN HOMME HEUREUX » is a lituanian traditionnal tale.
SYNOPSIS OF EACH STORIES
First section
The Villein and the Bird
The Villein (a boor peasant) has a garden where he went to listen to the song of a bird. One day, wanting to have its song just for him, he decided to capture it. The bird refuses captivity and wants to break free. It announces to the villein that it will never sing in a cage.
The farmer threatens the bird to kill and eat it. So, the bird demonstrates the stupidity of such an act by answering that it is very small, too small even to serve meals. But it also said that it is able to give advice that will be very useful to the villain.
These tips can bring great benefits to the farmer to conditions, of course, that the bird is released.
Once released, the bird keeps its promise and offers three tips to the villein :
- Do not believe everything you hear;
- Keep what you have in your hand and don’t exchange it against any promise;
- Do not regret what you have lost.
After that, the bird sings just for itself while names the peasant stupid because it holds in her throat a large diamond. Immediately, the peasant laments and curses.
The bird reminds the farmer its advice and shows that such a large diamond can’t be hidden in such a small bird. It also advises the farmer not to forget the three tips that he has just received. It also promises to sing for him every morning and to offer him its wise words.
SHIRT OF A HAPPY MAN
A King of a country is very sick. He is achieved by a large sadness. A doctor offers a curious cure: the King have to take the shirt of a happy man. The prince, who is the son of the King, goes in search of a man who lives in perfect happiness . He crosses through his path rich and poor people, large families and couples without children, merchants, knights and plenty of other people, but no one was happy. To each and every one there is something missing to be able to enjoy happiness.
The prince discovers the people of his country and their problems. Indeed, he discovers life. He despairs because he knows very well that his father would die without this miraculous shirt.
At nightfall, he arrived near a hut of a peasant. Suddenly, he hears a man who talks about his perfect happiness.
First, the Prince makes sure that the man is really happy and then, he asks his shirt. Unfortunately, the man is very poor and has no shirt.
The Lithuanian tale ends so, but the author of the adaptation has found a solution for this story to end a positive and clever way: the prince offers the peasant to go to the market and to buy two shirts for him. One of these shirts will be his reward, and the second will be offered to the king after the peasant had worn it a short time.
Thus, the King gets his cure. The prince tries to reward the farmer for his wise counsel and shirt, but he refused the wealth and power. It offers the prince to come to him every time when he feels sad or overwhelmed by events.
The last sentence of the tale is : " The secret of happiness lies in a job well done."
Second section
A family is in tears because of a stupid idea that has run in the mind of a young woman.
Her husband can’t stand this kind of situation, goes in search of someone more stupid. He will have a wide choice!
He will meet a vainglorious peasant willing to listen to nonsense instead of offering a normal home for a traveler, a farmer who, thanks to his prodigious gift and its animals, will decide not to die.
Then he will meet a cupid and an envious trying to sell their old nags to earn even more money. Their losses will be larger than greed or envy.
On his return the young man simply decided to act, to live, instead of focusing on what’s wrong.
CONTACTS
MORTEMER ABBEY
Association "Au temps des Abbayes"
27740 LISORS
Président of the association : Mme Jacqueline CHARPENTIER- CAFFIN
e-mail : mortemer@orange.fr
Stage director : Mr Vytas KRAUJELIS
e-mail : vytas.kraujelis@free.fr
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