Today, April 1st, marked the second day of the "BNTU Spring" student creativity festival. The date, incidentally, was chosen deliberately, as April 1st is celebrated worldwide as April Fool's Day. And so, at the Belarusian National Technical University, the walls shook with the sparkling jokes and laughter of the audience during the Student Theater of Variety Miniatures (STEM) festival.
It's no wonder this day is considered the most challenging. As students from the departments noted, scripts were rewritten until late at night, and the sets were built by more than one pair of hands.
"After a month of set construction, it seemed like we were already reeking of paint, and the roar of the drill haunted us even at night. I hope it's all worth it and our students will perform brilliantly," shared Viktor Politsyn, a student in the Instrumentation Department.
Months of preparation, dozens of rehearsals and discussions – all for the sake of a few minutes on stage.
Let's step back from the numbers and note how the evening got off to a good start. The first to appear on stage were the distinguished and familiar hosts. This time, Arina Kolesova and Nikita Shilov got the audience going.
The STEM festival is challenging not only in preparation and performance, but also in judging the numbers. This was carefully monitored by the jury members: leading stage performer, theater and film actress, and Honored Artist of Belarus Irina Narbekova (jury chair); Deputy Dean for Ideological and Educational Work of the Faculty of Artistic Culture at the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, director Natalia Koval; and Maxim Sokol, artist of the Youth Variety Theater, actor, screenwriter, and director.
Let's return to the performances and immerse ourselves in an atmosphere of humor and ingenuity. The Military-Technical Faculty set the tone for the entire event with their "most military" STEM. The students masterfully captured the entire life of the faculty in their performance, from ceremonial formations to the little details of everyday life. The performers humorously portrayed the cadets' daily lives, completely shattering stereotypes of the somber and serious military engineers. The demonstration of "changing a light bulb" deserved special attention: in this example, the students clearly demonstrated their approach to any task – high-quality and thorough.
Students from the Faculty of Power Engineering transformed the stage into a veritable film set. By setting up a large-scale film studio, they revealed the secrets of behind-the-scenes life, showing the audience the complex and fascinating journey that any creative performance takes before becoming a spectacle.
The Faculty of Management Technologies and Humanitarian Studies presented a production steeped in philosophical depth. Using the example of porcelain dolls as an example, the students explored the fragility of beauty and the true value of the human soul, hidden beneath its surface.
The Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy, in turn, treated the audience to an incredible space adventure. The students interpreted the timeless fairy tale "The Little Prince." Along with the characters, the audience traveled across the galaxy. On the planet of memes, they recalled the most legendary internet phenomena, and on the planet of reviews, guests learned the secrets of blogging and the rules of perfect content. The journey concluded with the planet of "Natal Chart," where they found answers to the most unexpected questions. For example, "Why is an open house called that if there are no doors on the street?" A daily horoscope was also compiled, the main advice of which is to believe only in yourself.
That day, the children weren't just joking around. Alongside the humorous performances, a real drama unfolded on stage. The construction faculty told a story about how a true puppeteer can cure any illness. The main condition was to come to him with a pure heart. Powerful sets, elaborate costumes, and captivating dance elements added a special drama and depth to the production.
The Faculty of Information Technology and Robotics immersed the audience in an atmosphere of unbridled childhood imagination. The stage brought to life dreams familiar to everyone since childhood: pizza-flavored Cheetos, fictional characters, an eternal holiday, and a sea of soap bubbles. However, behind the bright packaging lay a profound moral: don't be afraid of growing up; growing up isn't a loss of magic, but a new step toward the ability to create miracles with your own hands.
We'll find out how the jury rated the performances at the gala concert on April 7th. Tomorrow, the instrumental festival will begin. We eagerly await the creative performances of the Polytechnic University musicians!
