The Ministry of Culture told the portal Žmonės.lt on Thursday that it regrets the situation and views it negatively. It also assured that it is actively communicating with representatives of the Panevėžys Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre.
“We believe that the situation could have been anticipated or even resolved in advance for the Theatre. Now the situation is unpleasant for both the creators and the audience. Representatives of the Ministry of Culture discussed this situation with both the head of the Panevėžys Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre and the director of the play.
The Ministry’s dialogue with the theatre management and the play’s creators is ongoing and will continue as long as necessary. The theatre’s management and administration must make every effort to resolve the situation.
As founders, we want the audience not to suffer, the theatre’s repertoire not to collapse, and respect for the authors to be maintained. This has been requested from the theatre management. The theatre is looking for solutions to resolve the problems that have arisen,” said representatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
We remind you that on Wednesday afternoon, the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre’s Facebook page announced the cancellation of all performances of Aleksandr Shpilevoy’s famous play “Macbeth.” Although its premiere took place in 2024, the play was still drawing full houses, with all tickets sold out for all performances.
Also read: All “Macbeth” performances canceled at the last moment – Tadas Gryn shocked: “Maybe this is an attempt to get rid of me”
Regarding this situation, the portal Žmonės.lt contacted the main actor of the play, Tadas Gryn. He said that he left his full-time job at the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre in July but wanted to continue acting in the plays by simply changing the employment model. Unfortunately, he was unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with the management.
“I neither wanted to leave the play nor planned to do so. In fact, to be honest, I am somewhat stunned that the theatre decided to cancel the performances for which all tickets were sold out for all shows,” T. Gryn told Žmonės.lt.
The actor said that disagreements with the theatre arose when it was necessary to decide how to proceed with work.
“Since I no longer belong to that theatre, we needed to agree on the conditions under which I would work, because there are quite a few plays in which I acted.
Usually, negotiations take place in such cases; we agree on conditions, fees, the number of rehearsals, and all other matters. But from the theatre’s side, I saw no interest or desire for the performances to take place, because there were practically no negotiations. I stated the conditions that would satisfy me; during the conversation, I did not hear their possibilities or proposals. I only received an ultimatum with a date, conditions they wrote themselves, and amounts they imagined, although we did not reach a final agreement. They said I had to respond by the evening whether it was acceptable; if not, they would cancel the performance. I think this is a threat, maybe a means of pressure, saying they will cancel, and so I will have to sign, even though the conditions do not satisfy me,” shared T. Gryn.
