aiOur volunteer group came up with the idea of interactive performances while showing the play "Princesses Are Different" based on the fairy tales by H.C. Andersen "The Princess and the Pigman" and "The Princess on the Pea", which we started showing to children in the Kharkiv subway in March 2022. 
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aiKharkiv suffered from bombing in the early days of the russian army's invasion. Kharkiv residents were forced to take refuge in the subway. For several months, people lived underground. During that time, we performed more than 200 performances for children, reaching 10,000 children and their families. We saw the happy eyes of children as the young viewers could forget about the war and remember peaceful everyday life, dream and laugh.
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aiHaving seen the positive psychological and emotional effect these performances had on children, we developed travelling performances to reach more young audiences, not only in Kharkiv but also in the neighbouring small communities of the region.

aiToday, I am Roman Panchenko, a producer and volunteer; Oleksandra Shlykova, an actress from the Kharkiv Puppet Theatre; and Anton Andriushchenko, an actor keep going to the cities near the frontline and those liberated after the occupation of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, where we show art therapy performances to children. 
aiThese are interactive performances that allow young viewers to become heroes of the play, share their emotions, and receive a positive therapeutic effect from engaging in the game. Interactive performances and physical education classes help to establish a trusting atmosphere to identify problem areas that need to be dealt with further.

aiOur interactive therapeutic performances are waited for in Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Balakliia, Pisochyn, Valky. And we would like to be able to meet with young viewers on a regular basis. These towns were not chosen by chance, as they are the locations of centres for evacuated people with children from the frontline and de-occupied territories. We are planning to start our visits on 15 June 2024, so we really need your support: to buy fuel, technical inspection of the vehicle, consumables for performances, purchase costumes, update props and playthings. We plan to show 10 performances. We need about $500 for each performance.