Commissioning of the guides. Maxim Gorky once said that “you must write for children the same way you write for adults, only better.” A similar principle should apply to guides working at children’s festivals. They need to look after children the way they look after adults, only better.
THE FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS is a very special event, with a unique atmosphere, but above all, it is safe for the participants. All this largely depends on the ensemble guides, as Festival Organisational Director Piotr Gąsienica reminded those who attended the Saturday briefing. Together with Monika Kurzeja, the head of the organisational office; Krzysztof Wolak, the logistics coordinator; and Patryk Rutkowski, the concert director, they collected and shared all the essential information that would be needed by the guides over the next seven days. And there is quite a lot of information!
Stage management, especially during the inaugural and final concerts, the organisation of the Festival parade, the nameboards carried by the ensembles, the ID badges, fuel vouchers for the coaches, parking regulations, meals, mineral water, concerts organised in the region, trips to Kraków. That is, everything covered by the plan. And yet, there are also unforeseen situations, such as “medical incidents,” which hopefully will not take place!
The guide, like a teacher or a caretaker during a school trip, takes care of the ensemble 24/7. They have a responsible role as a liaison between the ensemble and the organisers, between the ensemble and the comrade ensemble. They are a guide to the intersecting paths of the Festival. And there are so many of these paths! We, the audience, can only see some - those crossing the concert stages - which is only the tip of the iceberg.
May you, Ensemble Guides, have no shortage of joy and smiles!
