RMK to organise four theatre picnics in Kõrvemaa and Southern Estonia this summer 05.06
RMK's series of events every summer will continue this year, which is a Cultural Heritage Year, in the form of theatre picnics. The event, to be organised just outside Aegviidu on two occasions in June and in Southern Estonia on two occasions in August, is a thrilling nature hike including encounters with various characters on the trail through the forest, a theatrical performance and a picnic.
The theatre picnic, just outside Aegviidu in Kõrvemaa on 8 and 9 June, and in Võru County on 18 and 20 August, will feature Ivan Orav (Andrus Vaarik), Minister of Finance Otto Strandman (Mait Malmsten) and K Rožin (Uku Uusberg), a Soviet-era Communist Party organiser from a forest district. At the picnic site, "Helene, Marion and Felix", a play by Mati Unt based on "Felix Ormusson" and short stories by Friedebert Tuglas will be performed.
According to Aigar Kallas, Chairman of the Management Board of RMK, the idea of the theatre picnic grew out of a need to remind the people of Estonia of the various benefits provided by the forest, not all of which can be measured in terms of money. "With the theatre picnic, we would like to highlight those aspects of the forest that have previously been in the shadows, by putting on a play the likes of which has neither been staged nor seen. The introduction of Tuglas into the thick of the wilderness, the "ghost-like" appearance of various characters on the trail through the forest and the entire setting are all equally unprecedented. With the last of the three elements, I mean the forests in the midst of which we are having our picnic and the thoughts by means of which it is likely that each of us perceives that these forests have not always been here or like this," Kallas noted.
According to Marge Rammo, Head of the Nature Management Department of RMK, the theatre picnic has proven very popular, with more than half the seats at the June event booked to date already. In order to transport all those interested from Tallinn, RMK will operate dedicated coaches departing from Mere pst 5, outside the Russian Cultural Centre, between 12.30 and 14.00 on the day of the event. Tickets are available for purchase at www.teatripiknik.ee.
On 8 and 9 June, the hiking trail, approximately 3 kilometres long, will begin just outside the town of Aegviidu, near the trail head of the Kõrvemaa fitness trail. Information boards will be displayed along the trail, profiling forests in various age brackets. There will be opportunities, with information provided, to view a clear-cut from this year, young growth of a couple of years and cutting areas planted by foresters with spruce years ago. In addition, information will be provided on the species of plants and fungi, an anthill and the landscape bordering the trail. Those interested in technology will be able to get their hands on machinery used in forestry: a ground preparation tractor, a harvester and a logging tractor.
Every hike segment of twenty or so minutes is followed by a brief break to hear a character appearing on the trail in a miniature performance. Miniature performances will feature Ivan Orav (Andrus Vaarik), speaking in praise of the forest; the 1924 Minister of Finance Otto Strandman (Mait Malmsten), who will shed light on the intrigues surrounding one of the premier scandals of that time, as a result of which the state had to put its best cutting areas up for sale, K Rožin (Uku Uusberg), a Soviet-era Communist Party organiser from a forest district. Miniature performances will furthermore feature music, with the hikers treated to performances by the Avinurme Pasunapoisid brass band, Kätlin Jaago on the bagpipes and Marko Mägi on the saxophone.
With people arriving at the clearing of the theatre picnic at different times, RMK will offer the earlier arrivals various activities to pass the time, according to Rammo. Apart from having a picnic, the clearing will provide opportunities for crafting a birch sauna whisk, a twirling stick or a coat hanger; you will be able to take a stab at planting a forest or check out the "What a beautiful forest looks like" photography exhibition and give it your assessment. Those interested in photography will be able to attend a brief course taught by one of Estonia's best-known nature photographers, Sven Začek.
To conclude the evening, "Helene, Marion and Felix", a play by Mati Unt based on "Felix Ormusson" and short stories by Friedebert Tuglas will be performed at the picnic site. It will feature performances by Guido Kangur (Felix), Piret Kalda (Helene) and Maria Avdjuško (Marion).
RMK is a profit-making state agency established under the Forestry Act, aimed at the sustainable and efficient management of state forests. RMK grows reforestation materials, organises forestry works and is engaged in the sale of forest and timber and the upkeep of wild animals. Additionally, RMK establishes opportunities for nature walking and forest holidays in recreation areas, in Estonia’s five national parks and almost 40 other protected areas, and shapes nature awareness. RMK manages 38% of Estonia’s forests.
Why not also check out a video clip on the theatre picnic at
and a thematic website at www.teatripiknik.ee.
Further
information:
Marge
Rammo
Head of the Nature Management Department of RMK,
Tel 513 7035
e-mail:
marge.rammo@rmk.ee
Mari-Liis
Kitter
Head of the Communications Department of RMK
Tel 514 5954
e-mail:
mari-liis.kitter@rmk.ee
RMK together with nature: www.facebook.com/riigimets
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