Mommy’s Dragon

In the performance, which is based on the eponymous picture book by Estonian author Piret Jaaks, we meet a little girl and her mother. The girl thinks her mother is special because she has a dragon living inside her. The dragon is not happy when the girl messes up the couch with jam, breaks a cup, or cuts the mother’s new dress. At such times, the dragon gets angry and breathes fire. The mother feels a strong pain in her stomach and screams out loud. However, the mother says she has grown a bit tired of her dragon and that, when the girl is as big as she is, they will let the dragon go and send it to the moon together.

In the performance, the dragon is presented as a metaphor for anger. Through metaphors, we approach children’s experiences by portraying abstract themes through storytelling rather than analytical, adult reasoning. Representing anger through the dragon character introduces children, in a non-intrusive way, to the idea that emotions are a part of everyone’s life, including adults. We are responsible for how we coexist with our dragons. The performance is a puppet show for one actress and musician who accompanies the action live.

Premiere: October 14, 2022