The author of the book The Legend of the Aesti, Audronė Ilgevičienė-Astrėja, is the author of more than 35 books and the founder of anthropotheosophy. Her field of research focuses on human psychic, mental, and spiritual alchemy. The author also conducts research and expeditions related to the history of the Aesti people.

The performance tells the story of a people whose name is still alive, yet whose history has remained unheard. This is not merely a historical narrative, but a legend about what lies deeper than dates or facts – about the spirit of a nation.

The story is based on a deep inner exploration of what it means to be part of a people. Together, we raise questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? What does it truly mean to belong to a nation? Why is our past important for today?

“The story The Legend of the Aesti is about the great migration of the Aesti. About how, 10,000 years ago, the Aesti people rose from the ancient mouth of the Nile and set out toward their Promised Land by what is now the Baltic Sea,” says the book’s author, Audronė Ilgevičienė-Astrėja.

Through puppet, object, and shadow theatre, the journey of the Aesti comes to life. Here, children become fellow travelers: they experience battles, witness spiritual transformations, and listen to voices from the past. Here, history is alive – it breathes, speaks, asks questions, and sometimes even falls silent, allowing each viewer to hear what matters most.

“With the performance The Legend of the Aesti, the aim was to bring the book to life on stage. This legend is extraordinarily vivid in its imagery and language, so we had to work hard to convey at least a fragment of what is described in it. The performance, like the book, speaks about a topic that is profoundly relevant to all of us – about the divine roots of our nation, about how our ancestors journeyed to their Promised Land by the Baltic Sea. Who were they? How did they live? What hardships did they have to overcome? How many mysteries did they unravel on this wondrous journey? For us, Lithuanians, this journey is a journey inward – to our origins, to the very beginning of beginnings,” says director Karolina Chomičienė.

Creative team of the performance:

Karolina CHOMIČIENĖ, Gailė GARNELYTĖ, Kristijonas LUČINSKAS, Paulius BUTKUS, Giedrė BRAZYTĖ, Neringa MINKEVIČIENĖ, Vilius VILUTIS, Domas ŠIAULYTIS, Julius STANKEVIČIUS, Gintarė VAIVADAITĖ VALAIŠIENĖ, Virginija PAJARSKIENĖ, Irma IVANOVA, Eliot ZUNINO, Marius VAITKUS, Justinas ŠUKAITIS, Vytautas NOVICKAS, Justina JUKONYTĖ, Lijana MUŠTAŠVILI, Elvyra PIŠKINAITĖ, Erika GAIDAUSKAITĖ, Karolis Algimantas BUTVIDAS, Deivis SARAPINAS.

Special thanks for the collaboration to the Klaipėda University Mixed Choir Pajūrio aidos and its conductor Algirdas Šumskis.