Kukainis

In the children’s play Insect, composed by Oļesja Kozlovska and Jēkabs Nīmanis based on Franz Kafka’s story The Metamorphosis, entomologist (insect researcher) Uģis Piterāns takes part alongside Armands Siliņš-Bergmanis, musicians, and actors.

director Anita Sproģe
playwright Justīne Kļava
set designer Austra Hauks
lighting designer Jānis Sniķers
composers Oļesja Kozlovska, Jēkabs Nīmanis

actors Ance Strazda, Klāvs Mellis, Reinis Boters
singer Armands Siliņš-Bergmanis
viola Dāvis Sliecāns
percussion Ernests Mediņš
French horn Ilvis Faulbaums
double bass Ivars Ozols

Gregor is an entirely ordinary boy from an entirely ordinary family, with whom a most extraordinary event has taken place. Convinced that his only mission on Earth is to study well and bring joy to his parents and teacher, Gregor lives in constant fear of not being up to the task. That is why, one fine day, Gregor finds himself in a situation where he can no longer fulfill his usual role.

The play Insect is based on motifs from the story The Metamorphosis by modernist writer Franz Kafka, who was born in what is now the Czech Republic. It tells the story of a typical middle-class family whose child turns into a cockroach overnight. In the roughly hour-long performance, filled with grotesque and absurd events, the audience will see two loving parents trying to live with someone who has become different, as well as a young person’s desire to break free from the constraints of expectations and begin an independent life.

During the performance, musicians play compositions by Oļesja Kozlovska created especially for the show, inspired by the theme of insects from the meadow and the household. There is also a popular science presentation about cockroach habits and behavior, helping the audience to shed stereotypes and see the cockroach as a nice and pleasant creature.

The play Insect is intended for the whole family. For children, it offers the opportunity to follow the coming-of-age story and self-discovery of ten-year-old straight-A student Gregor, while for adults, it provides a chance to recognize themselves in everyday realities of an era obsessed with success and gripped by a panic fear of anything different.