Мюзикл для детей "ПО ЩУЧЬЕМУ ВЕЛЕНЬЮ"

Там, где появляется Московский драматический театр «Русский терем», жди небывальщины!

5, 6 и 7 декабря 2014 года в преддверии Нового года приглашаем детей и их родителей на веселый и красочный мюзикл «ПО ЩУЧЬЕМУ ВЕЛЕНЬЮ» (по мотивам известной русской народной сказки). 

Давным-давно в некотором царстве, в некотором государстве жил-был Емеля. Пошёл Емеля за водой на речку да поймал щуку. Отпустить - отпустил её и получил за это волшебный дар: все желания его стали исполняться. И вёдра с водой сами пошли домой, и сани сами поехали без лошадей, и топор сам нарубил дров…А вот что произошло дальше…

СМОТРИТЕ И УДИВЛЯЙТЕСЬ:

5 декабря в Никосии – Театр «САТИРИКО» (18.30)
6 декабря в Ларнаке – театр «СКАЛА» (17.00)
7 декабря в Пафосе – театр «МАРКИДЕО» (11.00)
7 декабря в Лимассоле – театр «ПОЛЕМИДИЯ» (17.00)

ОТКРОЙТЕ СВОЕ СЕРДЦЕ СКАЗКЕ,
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Always too late - Paula Manoli-Gray

The community of Larnaca – and the island as a whole - was shocked by the murder of a 22-year old man two weeks ago, and even more so that the suspect is a 17-year old.

There won't have been a single parent whose heart did not break upon hearing of the family's loss. It is truly unimaginable and I cannot begin to comprehend how they are suffering.

If the loss of a bright young future was not enough, it transpired that the suspect was well known for his criminal activities from a young age to the point that he had amassed 60 known cases. The victim's family - and surely anyone else who read the stories – had one simple question, 'why was this youth allowed to continue committing crimes?' which leads to the logical conclusion that had he been dealt with, then there would not be a family grieving right now.

I must admit that personally, I had not been aware of the situation regarding juvenile offenders, and when the story broke and I read that there simply isn't any proper mechanism in place for dealing with underage crime, I was astounded.

Authorities may try to claim that technically, underage perpetrators cannot be held accountable for their crimes due to their young age and a need for guidance and hugs rather than punishment, but who are we kidding? A 17 year old who has been repeatedly offending knows the difference between right and wrong; he is not your average school boy who gets his grades, respects his elders and just so happens to make a mistake that could tarnish his whole future if we don't show leniency on account of his age. This is a hardened criminal who was naturally going to escalate if left unchecked. From his cocky 17-year old point of view, he had carte blanche from the law to commit his crimes until the age of 18, so why should he stop? Without a deterrent, and with a feeling of being 'hard' or 'cool' or 'dangerous' – and the intense feeling of power that would bring to a young man, there was simply no reason for him to stop.

I am not saying that he did not need help as a preference to punishment – clearly there was something terribly wrong there, to the point that his poor family were begging the courts to hold him - but that is neither here nor there, because apparently, neither was available or offered. 

Of course, there is a flip side to this tragedy. The family of the suspect are also suffering unimaginable pain from knowing that the child they brought into the world, cradled in their arms and envisaged a future for has taken such a dark and unfathomable path that even they, as parents, were powerless to prevent him from taking the life of another parent's child. Again, as a parent, this is absolutely terrifying. We do the best we can, but what if it is not enough? And that is where we expect the state, the law, the authorities, teachers, doctors, society to help and support us.

Sadly, two families were let down by society and all its associated authorities, and with the worst possible consequences. No doubt things will start to change now, and the victim's family are fighting for these changes. But once again, as with many things, it is always too late.

The first appeared in The Cyprus Weekly week 28/11/14

Turning on the Lights

Christmas Event for Pet Charity

A merry and balanced Christmas to all - Paula Manoli-Gray

Despite my best attempts to ignore any signs of Christmas, it is getting harder and harder to avoid it, so I will have to concede that yes, it is indeed getting closer.

I don't like Christmasy things too early, I think December 1 is a good time to start it all, but I do understand that shops have to start early because their competitors do, which in turn makes them start even earlier to get in there before their competitors… and round and round it goes in a cycle of not wanting to miss out, hence the date moves forward year by year!

Although I am not keen on too much Christmas too early, I do still love it because I have two young children and there are wonderful events in Larnaca with a real seasonal spirit. They love the whole razzmatazz of it all, and of course, using Santa as a behaviour tool is very handy! But every year I become more and more jaded with Christmas as an adult because I cannot stand the way it is being made into a secular celebration, like people are embarrassed to acknowledge that it is a Christian celebration to honour the birth of Christ. Even my writing it here may make some people uncomfortable, but if that sounds like you then you shouldn't be jumping on the bandwagon of Christmas and using it as an excuse for presents, gluttony and parties. There, I said it!

In truth, Christmas has now become a commercial holiday for excess and nothing more; the shops rub their hands with glee, the bars and restaurants rub their hands with glee, the supermarkets can bring out whole new ranges to cash in on, and it just reeks of greed, materialism and hedonism with a flip side of stress and feelings of inadequacy.

Personally, I partake in and enjoy the ritual of giving gifts, the social gatherings and the seasonal foods, but I am careful to balance out stories of Santa leaving stockings with the nativity story for my children, and I do remind them why it is Christmas and what it means, whilst still embracing the other elements of it. I don't deny that for some, Christmas is a welcome break from the norm, as it always brings cheer and a message of hope and positivity – and a chance to let out steam at parties too – but we need to balance it out and ensure that we do at least acknowledge the 'reason for the season'.

Cyprus' main religion is Greek Orthodox, so Christmas for many on the island is still about it's original meaning; as is Easter, but every Christmas we read stories from the UK press about how the nativity play is not allowed in case it offends non-Christian children and parents and many cards use the terms 'happy holidays' or 'season's greetings' instead of the word 'Christmas' for the same reason.

Like many things that Cyprus still does right (as hard as it may be for some to believe!), I hope my little island is strong enough to maintain its faith for its religious celebrations too because I can honestly see children in generations to come not having a clue who Joseph, Mary and Jesus are, just as we no longer have a clue why Halloween exists. Do YOU know the reason for Halloween?

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly 21/11/14