Kommentare - Der kleine Erdvogel
Was ist denn bitte schön ein Erdvogel?
"That's impossible!" - "I've never heard of such an animal!"
The children are having a heated discussion.
“Sometimes there are things that you think are impossible,” the teacher replied.
"Dreams and longings often slumber for a long time in your heart and must mature until they are one day big enough,
to find a way to the light.”
The same is true for the little earth bird, played with child-friendly sensitivity by Maike Jansen. Mother Mole, the cow, the rooster, and not forgetting the cheeky fly, whom Stefan Ferencz brings to the stage with humor and always a unique touch, laugh at the little mole's wish: "You want to be able to fly? That's impossible!"
The acting duo has been performing together since 2004, handling everything themselves, from staging and props to booking and lighting. With clear gestures and a childlike joy in performing, they captivate audiences of all ages. And should the young audience members ever get a little too loud in their comments or imitations,
They take it with a simple "Oops!"
This clearly demonstrates how the duo's performance differs from many other children's theater productions:
They don't want to educate or mold their audience. What is seen shouldn't just be grasped and mentally checked off as "understood." Rather, they enable the audience to have a holistic encounter, engaging both mind and heart. This sometimes requires patience and time.
For example, to experience how long rumination takes and that funny noises can be heard during it.
“How did you do that?” a child asks Stefan, impressed, after he has demonstrated his technique.
"I use what I have."
Similarly, the owl encourages the little mole to focus on his own abilities when fulfilling his deepest desires. "You have ears, they help you fly!"
The children of the Blumenauer Straße elementary school in Munich definitely learned one thing this morning:
That one must recognize and utilize one's inherent talents and abilities.
And: that dreams come true if you believe in them strongly enough.
Heike Spreter von Kreudenstein, religion teacher at the school Blumenauer Straße 11, Munich
HEPPENHEIM
"Starkenburger Echo"
October 19, 2023
Children take off with a small earth bird
The play at the Saalbau cinema delights all age groups.
The story of a young mole also holds a lesson at the end.
By Astrid Wagner
Spending a lifetime burrowing through dark, damp underground tunnels isn't for everyone. Especially not for the little mole. He wants to fly. And he won't let anyone talk him out of that dream. Many children learned how the persistent earth dweller finally achieves his goal on Sunday afternoon at the Saalbau cinema in Heppenheim. There, the mobile theater company "Pohyb's und Konsorten" performed "The Little Earth Bird," based on the children's book of the same name by Oliver Scherz and Eva Muggenthaler, as the opening act of the children's theater series presented by Forum Kultur.
The youngest visitors were not yet two years old, and yet it was absolutely silent as actress Maike Jansen walked through the hall playing the flute and finally stepped onto the stage. A paper airplane flew merrily through the air above the large molehill, while deep underground, Mama Mole, portrayed by Stefan Ferencz, resolutely not only cleaned the subterranean home but also tried to knock some sense into her son. "Mama, I want to fly," the little mole declared firmly.
"But we're not flying," replies the mother, and after much back and forth ends the discussion with a curt "Enough!".
The very beginning was symbolic of the next hour: quiet tones and thoughtful moments alternated with hilarious scenes, delightful pantomime, simple dialogues and economical but apt costumes.
It's a play full of poetry that appealed to the adults in the audience at least as much as to the very youngest visitors. The little earthling remains undeterred, practicing flying, digging his way up to the sun, admiring and envying butterflies and birds. But no matter how much he waves his arms, he can't take off.
None of the animals he meets give him courage: The ruminating cow, hilariously portrayed by Ferencz, doesn't understand at all why the little mole, who now calls himself an earth bird, wants to fly: "Why?" she moos. "Look at me: I eat at the front and a patty comes out the back. It's a miracle. "Why do I need to fly?" A rather smelly miracle, a cowpat, as the mole observes.
The argument between two flies with tea strainer eyes over the stinking object of their desire is delightful.
But these two also laugh at the mole when they learn about his dream.
And so the little mole meets one animal after another: the proud rooster, the tall stork. But only the wise owl can help the slowly resigned little mole. "Why don't you fly with your ears?" she asks him, and has him close his eyes and listen to the wind. And the power of imagination finally makes possible what had seemed increasingly unattainable: The little earth bird feels the wind as it caresses the grass, rustles the leaves of the trees, and suddenly he takes flight in his thoughts, giving free rein to his imagination.
Nothing is impossible if you believe in it. "Hooray!" a little boy in the audience whispers, "He finally did it, even though everyone said it couldn't be done." And that's precisely the essence of this sensitively and lightly performed piece: dreams can come true if you believe in them and are willing to take unconventional paths.
Hey pohyb's,
Today, our family went to the theater in Hüttisheim. Admittedly, for the first two minutes we thought you were somewhere between odd, strange, and not quite right in the head.
But what we then saw and experienced was beyond compare. The "cow" was so amazing... my wife laughed until she cried for minutes. I have no idea when I last saw her like that.
Our daughter was thrilled from beginning to end.
The cow-patty bullfight, the stork, and, as the crowning finale, the eagle owl, in which there were so many nuances to discover...
THANK YOU for that and for letting us discover this form of art :-) and THANK YOU for being so approachable and authentic.
Many warm greetings and all the best for the future,
Jürgen, Marion and Alea
The production
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... Kindertheater zum AbhebenListenelement 1...Even if the earthy mole mother – wonderfully contrasted here by Stefan Ferencz – simply dismisses it. A mole who wants to fly? What nonsense! We have shovels. End of story. But this charming little mole isn't bothered by anything or anyone. Then he'll be an earth bird. It's a masterpiece that Pohyb's and his colleagues have staged. Children's theater that takes flight. Lively and cheerful. That's how the little mole travels, asking around and encountering flyers and non-flyers who try to talk him out of his idea – no! it's his vision. It's captivating how Stefan Ferencz captures the essence, the typical characteristics of the animals he portrays with clownish energy and expressive acting. He chews his cud as if he were doing it in real life, acts like a stork strutting in the truest sense of the word, or behaves so owlishly that he himself is about to glide through the forest. You can confidently take advice from this owl – which is exactly what the little mole does. And when Maike Jansen lets him hear the wind, the audience hears it too – and when he then flies, everyone knows that this kind of flying takes you much further than airplanes! C. Roeder, Hobbit Theatre
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The little mole would rather be a bird... The audience melts awayListenelement 2EPPELHEIM. The little mole had only one goal: "I want to fly!" He repeated this sentence over and over again. His mother shook her head in incomprehension and brought her offspring back down to earth with some pointed words: "We live underground – we can't fly!" But the little earthworm wasn't so easily dissuaded from his idea. When he poked his nose out of his molehill, he looked enviously at the butterflies and paper airplanes that fluttered merrily through the air above his head. Then the little mole made a decision: He absolutely wanted to become an "earth bird." He immediately began practicing flying. But that didn't quite work yet. So he set off and asked various animals what flying was like. He met both flyers and non-flyers and finally received the crucial tip on how flying could work for moles, too. The story of longing and imagination, presented by the mobile children's theater group "Pohyb's und Konsorten" at the city library, was utterly delightful for children aged four and up. The play, "Der kleine Erdvogel" (The Little Earth Bird) by Oliver Scherz and Eva Muggenthaler, explored the power of dreams and was both a poetic and witty tale about yearnings, desires, goals, and the power of imagination. Actors Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz captivated audiences of all ages in no time. The two have been performing together as an acting duo since 2004 and are a well-rehearsed team. They tour Germany and abroad with their plays. Their aim is to create theater using simple means and artistry, and to stimulate their audience's imagination with their stories. The two completely immerse themselves in their roles. When Maike Jansen, with a childlike voice and squeaky sounds, practices flying as a baby mole, the audience is utterly charmed. And when Stefan Ferencz, who also plays the stern mother mole, transforms himself into a chewing cow or another animal, the audience is filled with enthusiasm and admiration for this wonderful transformation and performance. Schwetzinger Zeitung (sge)
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Organizer's commentListenelement 4
"Kongenial in Form und Zeichensprache ..." (Idstein)
Ein Vogel? Ein Maulwurf? Ein Erdvogel?
Auf alle Fälle ein Maulswurfs-Kind, das ganz eigene Vorstellungen und Träume vom Leben und seiner eigenen Daseinsform und damit Fortbewegungsfähigkeit hat.
Es wird verlacht und nicht ernst genommen von seiner Umwelt, weil es meint fliegen zu wollen und zu können.
Aber es hält fest an dem, was es sich sehnlichst wünscht und versucht mit allen ihm zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln dies umzusetzen.
Kongenial in Form und Zeichensprache, figürlich und pantomimisch umgesetzt von Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz, den Pohyb‘s und konsorten.
Kindertheater vom Feinsten, das Kinder und Erwachsene gleichermaßen beeindruckt und lange nachwirkt mit seinen Bildern.
C. Barthels, Idstein
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From the Flying MoleGUSTAVSBURG. Children were thrilled by the recent performances of "The Little Earth Bird." The theater duo "Pohybs and Associates" presented the play three times at the Burglichtspiele cinema. The mole accomplishes the seemingly impossible... Actors, mimes, and clowns Stephan Ferencz and Maike Jansen from the mobile theater "Pohybs and Associates" brought the witty and poetic story by Oliver Scherz and Eva Muggenthaler to Gustavsburg in a total of three performances. It's about a little mole (Maike Jansen) who refuses to accept that he can't fly. Against the resistance of Mama Mole (Stephan Ferencz) and the advice of the many other animals in the meadow, the little mole finally achieves the seemingly impossible. A large box that opens forward—that's all Stephan Ferencz and Maike Jansen need for a performance of "The Little Earth Bird." The rest is accomplished through sounds, gestures, glances, simple flute playing, and audience participation. They always respond to cheeky remarks from their young audience. But usually, the boys and girls are already captivated by the performance – and who wants to tell children to be quiet? Even the adults enjoyed the adventures of the little earth bird. The parable about realizing dreams and the power of imagination often brings a smile to one's face. Naturally, there's a lot of childlike quality in Stephan Ferencz and Maike Jansen, who stumble across the stage, pull faces, and sometimes simply don't understand the world – just like children sometimes do. (Rüsselsheimer Eche, rke)
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Wie der Maulwurf zum "Erdvogel" wird
„Abrakadabra“, Du kannst jetzt fliegen
Weinheim. Beim Kindertheater der IG Waid wurde „Der kleine Erdvogel“ von pohyb`s und konsorten aufgeführt. Dieses Stück ist noch nicht so bekannt wie Grüffelo, Frederick, Freunde oder Sams, die in den Vorjahren von den beiden Schauspielern, Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz, auf die Bühne gebracht worden waren. Aber erneut begeisterten die Beiden Kinder und Eltern.
Die Idee vom kleinen Maulwurf, der unbedingt fliegen lernen will, wurde in Tanz, Pantomime und Wortwitz umgesetzt. Auf seiner Reise zum Fliegen lernen begegnete er der schmatzenden Kuh, dem stolzen Hahn und der weisen Eule, deren typische Charaktereigenschaften mit minimalen Mitteln effektiv dargestellt wurden. Die Kinder feuerten mit Zwischenrufen an. Und als ein kleines Mädchen ihm immer wieder zurief „Abrakadabra, Du kannst fliegen“, da war jedem klar: Der kleine Maulwurf war nun ein Erdvogel und würde es mit seiner Phantasie schaffen über die Wolken zu fliegen.
Rhein Neckar Zeitung
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Mutmachende Geschichte über Träume, Ziele und die Kraft der Phantasie
Kindertheater zum Abheben
Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz erzählen am Samstag im Kulturhaus mit dem „kleinen Erdvogel“ eine Mut machende Geschichte über Träume, Ziele und die Kraft der eigenen Phantasie.
Kehl: Eigentlich leben Maulwürfe unter der Erde und können gar nicht fliegen. Doch dieser Umstand hält den kleinen Maulwurf, den Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz vom mobilen Theater „pohyb`s und konsorten“ am Samstagnachmittag im Kehler Kulturhaus auf der Bühne präsentiere, nicht von seinen Träumen ab. „Ich will fliegen“ sagt er und setzt sich in den Kopf, ein „Erdvogel“ zu werden.
Sein zugewiesener Platz
Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz erzählen mit ihrem Theaterstück „Der kleine Erdvogel“ eine wunderbar poetisch und witzig inszenierte Geschichte über einen tierischen Protagonisten, der sich partout nicht damit abfinden will, sich ein Leben lang tief unter der Erde durch seine Gänge zu wühlen.
Die 2013 als Bilderbuch erschienene Geschichte für Kinder an drei Jahren von Oliver Scherz und Eva Muggenthaler handelt vor allem auch von der Kraft der Fanntasie und der Sehnsucht, mit ihr die Fesseln der eigenen Existenz abstreifen zu können. Maike Jansen und Stefan Ferencz bringen die Erzählung mit einfachen Mitteln und einer wunderbar clownesken Geste auf die Bühne.
Die beiden Akteure, die früher zum Ensemble des pantomimischen Maskentheaters „Familie Flöz“ zählten, das von Stefan seinerzeit mitbegründet wurde, überzeugen mit einer beeindruckenden Körpersprache, die immer neue Charaktere entstehen läßt.
Der kleine samtige Kerl, von Maike Jansen mit großartiger Leichtigkeit und Anmut verkörpert, wühlt sich durch bis an die Erdoberfläche und lauscht den Vögeln. Er versucht einen Schmetterling zu fangen und steht staunend vor den Blumen, die von einer großen Kuh einfach abgefressen werden. Sie versteht nicht, warum der kleine Maulwurf fliegen will. Sie kaut ihr Gras und läßt einen Fladen platschen, um den sich zwei Fliegen streiten. Beim Umherstreifen trifft der kleine Maulwurf auch auf einen Hahn, der wild flatternd vom Misthaufen springt und trotz seiner Flügel nicht wirklich in die Wolken abhebt.
Ungeeignete Ausstattung
Der Maulwurf muß letztendlich erkennen, dass seine Schaufeln zum Graben und Wühlen in der Erde geeignet sind, zum Fliegen aber letztendlich nicht taugen. Dafür entdeckt er aber die Kraft der Fantasie, die Bilder im Kopf entstehen und den kleinen Maulwurf im Vertrauen auf die eigenen Träume auch bis in die Wolken empor steigen läßt.
Jansen und Ferencz knüpfen mit ihrer wegen Corona mehrfach verschobenen Aufführung an ihr erstes, bereits einige Jahre zurückliegendes Gastspiel in Kehl an und verzaubern ihre großen und kleinen Zuschauer mit einer intensiver Stunde. Mit diesem amüsanten Spektakel setzen sie auch den Schlußpunkt unter die städtische Familienreihe „Schau mal!“
Kehler Zeitung/Mittelbadische Presse vom 9.5.22 von Jürgen Haberer
