How Beautiful Panama Is!

STORY

Act I

Little Bear, Little Tiger, and the only one they love and protect, Tiger Duck, live in a white box. Their world is paper-made, safe, and clear. They use disposable objects, so a great deal of trash accumulates around their little home.

One morning, while sleeping in a hammock, Tiger Duck dreams of a box tied with a pink ribbon. As she tries to open it, she falls out of the hammock and wakes up. Little Tiger asks what she dreamed about, but Tiger Duck does not reveal the dream. It is her secret.

Life goes on as usual. Tiger Duck draws black-and-white mushrooms for Little Tiger and fish for Little Bear. While fishing, Little Bear notices a bottle floating down the river with the word ‘TREASURE’ written on it, but calmly lets it drift past. In the evening, all three admire Tiger Duck’s drawings, but immediately throw them away by the pile of trash – just like everything else in this world.

That evening, Tiger Duck remembers the dream. Secretly, she draws a box with a pink ribbon, leaves it by the river, and leads the end of the ribbon into the forest. Little Tiger becomes interested in the ribbon and, following its trail, meets Little Bear. Both think it might be a foreign package and open the box.

On the bottom of it, ‘PANAMA’ is written in pink. From inside the box spreads a sweet, enticing scent that makes the friends feel dizzy. They decide that Panama must be the name of the land the scent comes from, and they decide to find it.

Tiger Duck ties the pink ribbon around her neck, Little Bear turns the box into a sign with the word ‘PANAMA’, and Little Tiger packs the duck’s drawings of mushrooms and fish into a backpack.

The trio prepares for the journey. Their world moves for the first time. The black-and-white paper box is left behind, and Little Tiger, Little Bear, and Tiger Duck set off on a path full of color and adventure, in search of their dream country – Panama.

Act II

The friends’ journey continues. Falling asleep by the campfire, they slip into a dream and find themselves in a dark underground space, which turns out to be a snake nest. Holding a burning torch, Tiger Duck leads Little Bear and Little Tiger through a narrow corridor.

Suddenly, violet snake eyes flash in the darkness. The snake coils around Little Bear, then Little Tiger, trying to hypnotize them. Tiger Duck manages to grab the sign marked ‘PANAMA’ and bravely confronts the snake. After a short fight, she defeats the monster and wakes her friends.

Rain begins to fall, as if washing away the darkness of the dream. They wake up and continue their journey, following the direction of the sign.

The path leads them to a giant tree, at the top of which sits a proud crow. The friends ask if he has seen Panama, and the crow, lifting his beak, invites them to climb up. Using the sign as a staff, Little Bear helps everyone reach the top.

From above, a marvelous view of the world opens before them. The land, the sky, and colors that grow ever brighter. The friends hold the sign like a flag, and the crow becomes their captain. At such a height, Tiger Duck becomes afraid and urges them to go back down. Now she knows which way to go. The crow says goodbye and flies away, and the friends move on.

Soon they reach a small bridge over the river. Along the way, the bottle with the word ‘TREASURE’ floats past them again, but this time they only wave and continue forward. Tiger Duck suggests crossing the bridge with their eyes tied shut using the pink ribbon.

When they untie it, a familiar sight opens before them: their old home. But everything around it has changed: the pile of trash has turned into a green hill, the box-house is covered with blooming flower beds, and the house itself shines with color – a red roof, blue walls, green doors, and pink shutters.

Little Bear and Little Tiger rejoice. They have finally found Panama. After all, it smells so good, feels so right, and is so colorful – just like Panama. Tiger Duck smiles quietly. She recognizes her true home. Now it is their Panama world, full of color, light, and joy.

Tiger Duck rests again in the hammock, Little Tiger picks mushrooms, Little Bear fishes. White smoke rises from the chimney – a sign of peace. Suddenly, once more, a bottle with the word ‘TREASURE’ floats by down the river. This time, all three jump up together, run, and grab the bottle. Their treasure is finally found.

Insights

Making Panama beautiful

In the scenography of How Beautiful Panama Is!, plastic objects become part of nature: they transform into streams, fish, elements of the sky, and much more. I wanted to show familiar objects in unexpected forms. My hope is that children, by looking more closely, will not only discover beauty but perhaps also imagine a future that feels surprisingly close, or even recognise a reality that already exists. As our oceans are increasingly turning into seas of plastic waste, fish become reminders of the real creatures they once were, transformed into collages of discarded everyday objects assembled almost by chance. They are, in a way, ‘Frankensteins’ made of rubbish, an exploration of reuse that echoes the creative projects children often make in art classes. I have no intention of preaching or imposing a message; it is simply a visual language that feels right for telling this story. In the book How Beautiful Panama Is!, Panama is only a metaphor, a country that appears magical because we have never been there and know so little about it. I do not know what Panama truly looks like either. But the story is not really about a place; it is about discovery, about the curiosity that accompanies us throughout our lives, draws us into adventures, and makes us believe that the grass is greener somewhere we have never been. If, after the performance, the audience were to remember just one image or one emotion from the world I have created, I would hope it would encourage them to think about the present moment, the simple here and now, and to ask themselves, honestly, how they truly feel within it.

Set Designer Sigita Šimkūnaitė 

The music of this production is vivid, expressive and full of character. It reveals both the personalities of the characters and the atmosphere of the different worlds they encounter. At times it is playful and energetic; at others mysterious, exotic, or even unsettling; and then suddenly gentle and deeply emotional. This musical journey allows even the youngest audience members to follow the story and experience it on an emotional level. While composing the score, I felt as though I, too, was searching for my own Panama – that special place or state of being where beauty, joy and meaning come together. I hope that, by listening to the music and travelling alongside the characters, audiences will also reflect on what their own ‘most beautiful country’ might be, and will discover that it often lies much closer than we imagine, in the beauty of everyday life.

Composer Silvija Miliūnaitė

When creating the choreography for the dance performance How Beautiful Panama Is!, I drew inspiration from the natural movements of animals. I spent time watching videos and observing how each animal behaves in its natural environment. At the same time, I sought to strike a balance between repetition – which is particularly important for a production aimed at young audiences – and my own, more abstract choreographic style. The choreography makes extensive use of pantomime and carefully crafted stage pictures. Rather than relying on the classical ballet vocabulary familiar from productions such as The Nutcracker, Giselle, or Swan Lake, it embraces scenes reminiscent of animated films, where emotions, gestures, and movement are heightened, more expressive, playful, and full of life.

Choreographer Daria Verovka 

It is important to introduce children to high-quality visual experiences from an early age, as their aesthetic awareness begins to develop with the very first performances they see. I hope the costumes will help convey the central message of the story: that there may be wonderful places everywhere, but home is the best place of all. Although this production is created for children, I also want my characters to inspire their imagination and creativity. The costumes are made using contemporary materials and advanced production techniques, while the exceptional craftsmanship of the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre's costume workshop has given each piece its own unique character. To me, true sustainability means creating a production that remains on stage for many years and continues to be loved by generations of children. That is the most important goal for our entire creative team. 

Costume Designer Sandra Straukaitė