• 38m
• Premiere 2025

First lesson

Khmelnytsky Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater

The First Lesson is an interactive one-person performance by the M. Starytskyi Khmelnytskyi Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre, based on a play by German playwright Jörg Menke-Peitzmeyer. The performance takes place directly in a school classroom, turning an ordinary lesson into a live dialogue between the actor and the students.

At the centre of the story is a new student who joins a class and tries to find his place among his classmates. Behind his confidence, jokes and defiance gradually emerges the story of someone who has experienced bullying himself. The performance explores bullying, loneliness, personal responsibility, choices, and understanding between teenagers.

A distinctive feature of the production is the actor’s direct interaction with the students. The performance combines a prepared script with improvisation, making the audience’s reactions and responses part of each performance. The theatre thus brings the stage into the classroom and creates a space for an open conversation about issues faced by teenagers.

The project was created with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.