The documentary play "Vebratim," staged by the Ta-Tal Children's Inclusive Theatre Studio, premiered for the second time in Ashgabat.

For the second consecutive year, the play sold out, according to Turkmenistan: Golden Age.

"Vebratim" (from the Latin word for "literally") is a type of theatrical performance, or documentary theater. The play includes stories on the topic of bullying, told by children and fictionalized by the author. For those unfamiliar with the word "bullying," it is a form of aggressive behavior that involves the systematic humiliation, intimidation, or persecution of one person or group of people.

The play takes place among a group of children, revealing social problems we typically overlook. But they exist, or could exist.

The play's director is Andrei Pavlov.

The young actors themselves describe the play as follows:

Stanislav Demidov, 12th-grade student:

-In this play, I conveyed to the audience how disgusting children who bully are. There are no "political" debates in children's groups, and yet every child wants to be a leader or be close to one. It's good if the leader is a worthy teenager who protects the weak, but if leadership is needed to rise above others and subjugate everyone - that's bad. The play "Verbatim" helps children understand their behavior and help them make the right decisions.

Daniil Beslyakov, a fifth-grader:

-I once found myself in an unpleasant situation—the boys in my class were constantly teasing me. But I didn't give in and responded to the bullies with, 'You're the same!' and pretended not to be bothered by their insults. Soon they got fed up and left me alone.

Milena Shkurina, 12th-grade student:

-The theme of 'Witnesses' in the play particularly resonated with me. The presenter asked, 'Have you ever had situations where someone did something wrong, and instead of admonishing them, you simply became a bystander?" It's happened more than once! Now I feel bad about my behavior, and I won't do that in the future.

Yulia Shkurina, audience member and Milena's mother:

-This is my second time seeing this play, and both times the topic of 'Parents' has left me uneasy. I sometimes resort to phrases like 'Don't overreact,' 'Figure it out yourself,' 'You're no angel either,' instead of delving into the problem and helping my child solve it. Thanks to the play, I won't do that again.

As a reminder, the inclusive theatre studio has approximately 140 children of various ages, including those with special needs.