Why do people with Down syndrome still live in separate "ghettos" when we meet them, and we tell our children not to look because we can't answer their questions about why that person is "different"? Darius Gumauskas' performance "Mongolia" is about this, based on personal experiences."Mongolia" is a play about the life of people with Down syndrome in our society.A non-standard form was chosen for the performance, gradually leading the viewer from a passive observer of the story to an "active student" and finally providing a platform for the viewer to engage in a conversation. Both D. Gumauskas and Andrius Alešiūnas, who plays in the play, know Down syndrome very closely. Based on personal stories, the play explores friendship and raises the question, can otherness hinder it?
Society usually does not see such people - this is one of the main stimuli that led to the question "why?". Why do people with Down syndrome live in separate "ghettos" or closed apartments from childhood to old age? Why is it that when we meet a person with Down syndrome or another syndrome on the street, we are usually confused, and we tell our children not to look at them, because we cannot answer their question, why that person is "something different"?According to the artists, state integration is still formal. Real integration starts with us, the ability of the able-bodied to communicate and accept the disabled as a normal part of society. "The state strategy for the integration of the disabled provides for the integration of the disabled into society. We believe that in most cases it should be the opposite process, where the healthy are taught not to be afraid to communicate, to be empathetic and understanding. The theater acts as a safe form, where the worlds of the disabled and the spectators of the performance are connected without leaving their social bubble", says the creative team of the performance "Mongolia".