Vokietukai - Little Germans

Theaterplay, premiere 2. September 2017, Vilnius Vingis Parkas,  
       
In Cooperation with the Lithuanian National Drama Theater and Berlin Senate for Cultural Affairs.

From 1944 onward, thousands of German children got separated from their parents in East Prussia - most of them forever. Their parents had been killed during bombing raids or harsh winters without any food or shelter. Against hunger, the cold and the Soviet despotism, they are fighting for their lives, sometimes in groups or with their siblings, sometimes just on their own. Some of them ended up in Lithuania where they were taken in by Lithuanian peasant and lost track of their own identity. Those who assisted the German children to survive had to hide their efforts from the Soviet authorities in Lithuania. Therefore many German children's names were changed and it was forbidden for them to reveal where they were from.
Some of the so called "wolves children" even forgot their German descent. The story continued to be tragic even after the end of the Cold War in 1991, as they didn't get recognized as German citizens. The story of each individual "Vokietukai (Little German)" is another dark spot in the German past and tragically connects the countries of Lithuania and Germany.

While in Vilnius, the director Sonya Schönberger staged a play with six actors, of whom each took over one monologue of “Vokietukai”. Each actor created a unique experience for one spectator only, as they both went on walk through Vilnius Vingio Park. The monologues were written based on biographies collected by Sonya Winterberg, who made an extensive research in Lithuania and published it in the book „Wir sind die Wolfskinder. Verlassen in Ostpreußen” and kindly passed on.

With Aidas JURGAITIS, Neringa KRUNGLEVIČIŪTĖ, Gabrielė LADYGAITĖ, Pijus NARIJAUSKAS, Miglė POLIKEVIČIŪTĖ, Eglė ŠPOKAITĖ, Jūratė VILŪNAITĖ

Directed by Sonya Schönberger
Director Assistant Uršulė BARTOŠEVIČIŪTĖ
Photography Dimas MATVEJEVAS