In early November, the Teremok Children’s Theater embarked on its first-ever tour, traveling to Philadelphia for the “Theater – Island of Friendship” Festival. Our delegation owes a massive debt of gratitude to the organizers, Marta Zefarskiy and Lana Mokilev, for a celebration that provided immense inspiration, vivid emotions, and a vital platform for talented young actors to connect.

For my children, Anton and Yuka, this tour was a unique challenge. Having joined Teremok just three months prior, they worked tirelessly to master their lines and successfully integrate into the creative ensemble, determined not to let their new friends down.

My daughter, Yuka, secured a leading role in Irina Doronina’s poignant play, “I Love You All,” a piece that explores the essential nature of human relationships. The role was emotionally complex and textually demanding. We must extend special thanks to the theater’s professional educators—Anastasia Vorontsova, Olga Vasilyeva, and Dmitry Vlasov—who dedicated significant effort to coaching both Yuka and my son, Anton, not only on the script but also on the musical and choreographic parts of their performance.

The Philadelphia festival, which lasted three days, presented a diverse selection of productions tailored for children and teenagers of all ages.

Teremok proudly presented two stage plays. The first, “The Dragon,” based on the classic by Evgeny Schwartz, featured my son Anton in his theatrical debut as the Cat. Our second offering, “I Love You All,” is a resonant story about the messy process of learning to love—how we sometimes feel angry, hurt, frustrated, or despairing. It serves as a powerful on-stage dialogue about the difficulty and the profound importance of cherishing those close to us.

As a first-time touring company, the experience was seamless thanks to Teremok’s director, Anastasia Vorontsova, who transformed the trip into a fantastic journey. Beyond the festival stage, children and parents enjoyed significant non-formal interaction. We visited an Uzbek cuisine restaurant and explored the city. In the evenings, after the children retired, the parents often gathered late into the night, sharing impressions of the festival and reviewing photos and video clips from the performances.

A major highlight for the festival participants was the series of master classes led by the New York-based theater master , actor, and director Andrey Kuznetsov. This was not our first encounter with Maestro Kuznetsov. He is adored by children from Russian-speaking theaters across the country. Andrey possesses a unique ability to connect with every child; his workshops are an “explosion” of emotion, a rich source of new knowledge and theatrical skills. The young participants left his sessions energized, their eyes shining with inspiration.

We returned to Washington “tired but delighted,” as the saying goes, filled with fantastic memories and a renewed passion for the stage. The work continues: Teremok is already preparing to take The Dragon on its next tour—to Boston—this December.