Making masks in Panevėžys, Lithuania

In November, our transnational team of artists and practitioners gathered in Panevėžys, Lithuania, to bring our practices, aesthetics and artistic approaches into dialogue. From this spark was born: the first version of the Mascarade methodology!

Mascarade Methodology: what is it?

It is the core of the project.

The Mascarade methodology combines mask-making with stage-based theatrical practice. It is designed to be accessible to all — and, within this project, specifically to young people.

The mask is approached both as an artistic object and as a metaphor. It becomes a tool to question individual and collective identities, otherness, social norms, and contemporary European narratives.

Objectives of the workshop:

• To encourage the expression of people whose stories are often made invisible;

• To develop participants’ creative and non-formal skills, including cooperation, listening, time management, ... ;

• To reflect on identity·ies — personal, intimate, European;

• To have fun!

What did we do in Lithuania?

For nine days, we were warmly hosted by Teatras Menas and its beautiful Pragiedruliai arts centre, where we shared practices and collectively built the methodology — it was an intense bubble of what we mean by "European cooperation!"

Techniques were combined such as face moulding, movement work, papier-mâché, painting, games, “tziki tkaka”, and costume exploration.

At the end of the nine days, a first version of the methodology was developed, designed to be implemented through five-day workshops.

And now?

The next step is to test this V.0 of the methodology!

Between January and April 2026, each partner will experiment with the protocol with a group of young people in our local context.

The next meeting will take place in Spring, in Greece, to discuss what worked, what worked less, adjust the methodology, and film it as video tutorials for dissemination.