Reading week in VDU Ugnės Karvelis gymnasium, Lithuania.
A Christmas Carol
On 14th November, 29 students from VDU Ugnės Karvelis gymnasium in Kaunas, Lithuania went to the “Girstutis” theatre in Kaunas where they had an extraordinary opportunity to see A Christmas Carol play based on Charles Dickenson’s story “A Christmas Carol”. The story is well known all over the world; it brings smiles to everyone’s faces and warms even the coldest hearts. The author reminds everyone that there is much more to the Christmas period than shopping and eating.
This play in the newest adaptation of the story to the stage. It is directed by Paul Stebbings who has gotten many awards in Asia and Europe for his ability to mix music and acting on stage. This production is true music theatre. The actors play and sing the score that is far more exciting than a string of carols (although carols there are!).
However, to fully comprehend the idea of A Christmas Carol, students were reading and watching videos about Charles Dickens’s life, discussing his other works and carefully examining the background story of “A Christmas Carol” story for the whole week before the play. Students were excited to know the historical background of the 19th century England, their beliefs and traditions. In addition, they had several discussions during which they had an opportunity to compare our present Christmas traditions and beliefs to those presented in the story.
As the whole reading week took place in during the English language class, after the play the students were asked to write brief reviews of the play they saw. You may find some of the students’ reviews below.
The reading week was a huge success for students’ understanding of the world and present traditions and customs in our society. What is more, the reading week reminded students of the joy of reading and watching the play deepened their wish to not only read more, but also broaden their social life with more intellectual activities.