From September 30 to October 29, as many as 17 theater stories will be shown in Varėna. Experienced theater actors from major Lithuanian theaters, young creators, theater enthusiasts, and those who are just discovering professional stage art will meet on stage. The program includes premieres, audience favorites and critically acclaimed performances, comedies, dramas, monologues, socially sensitive stories, and works for the family. The festival organizers dedicate five performances to children and youth.
The festival will begin on September 30 with an awards ceremony. The winner of this year’s Dalia Tamulevičiūtė Lithuanian authors’ stage art competition will be awarded at the Varėna Cultural Center. The competition is announced by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. On the evening of the celebration, the audience will be treated to a free performance of last year’s competition laureate – the play “Chapel B” by the theater “Utopia” and Oskaras Koršunovas Theater. Director Jaunius Juodelis created the play based on Antanas Škėma’s novel “White Shroud”.
On October 29, the festival will close with a solemn awards ceremony for the laureates. On the final evening, it will be revealed which performances were chosen as the best by the festival jury and the audience.
Theater about what we often do not say
The festival organizers say that this year several performances ask the question – what is happening between us? Between man and woman. Between different generations. Between parents and children. Between the individual and society. Between who we want to be and who we really are.
During the Klaipėda Drama Theater’s performance “Some Species of Eagles,” the audience will watch a duet of actors from different generations on stage – Igor Reklaitis and Jonas Baranauskas. Their story about people separated not only by age but also by different worldviews is dynamic and relevant.
Mutual relationships are also discussed in the monologue “Girls and Boys,” directed by Diāna Kaijaka, performed by the National Kaunas Drama Theater and the theater “Mens Publica”.
The Klaipėda Youth Theater’s performance “Little Eyolf,” directed by one of the most prominent contemporary European theater creators Árpád Schilling, will speak about pain, guilt, the desire for revenge, and hope that rebirth is possible only when you free yourself from complicated feelings. It is a drama about the fragility of love, responsibility, and the search for meaning after a painful loss.
The festival will not be limited to personal stories. The theater “Open Circle” will draw attention to the fact that stereotypical views on autism still exist in society. Justas Tartelis’ performance “Spectrum,” based on the book “Autism – Part of Me” by Jurgita Žalgirytė-Skurdenienė and Barbora Suisse, will engage the audience in an emotional journey and encourage rethinking what it means to accept another person.
Both premieres and beloved theater stories
This year, the Dalia Tamulevičiūtė professional theaters festival features three premieres. The premiere performances will be presented by Juozas Miltinis Drama Theater, Alytus City Theater, and Vilnius Theater “Lėlė”.
The Klaipėda Drama Theater will return to the Varėna audience, and the State Šiauliai Drama Theater will bring the audience and critics’ acclaimed dramedy “Dance, Edita, Dance,” directed by Eglė Vertelytė.
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Humor will also find its place at the festival – the audience will see the Kaunas City Chamber Theater’s performance “Awaken Your Inner Goddess,” directed by Gildas Aleksa. Also, the comedic drama “Minor Marital Crimes,” directed by Raimundas Banionis, from the Vilnius Old Theater.
A new theater audience
Five performances at this year’s festival are dedicated to children and youth. The Kaunas State Puppet Theater will invite young viewers to the Polish director Malina Prześluga’s performance “Hello, World!”. The story about how the world came to be is intended for children aged 3 to 6 years.
The Keistuolių Theater will present the musical performance “Tip Top,” and Vilnius Theater “Lėlė” will bring the premiere “Baubas” for the whole family. For parents, this performance will recall childhood and a cult character, while for children it will be a new, fun, and unexpected discovery.
The festival program also includes space for neurodiverse children. The Table Theater’s performance “What Do You Offer?” will open a different stage world for children up to 18 years old, where not only words but also sensations, images, objects, and the opportunity to experience theater in their own way are important.
Older students will await the Keistuolių Theater’s performance “Pelėkautai,” based on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” and the Kaunas Kazys Binkis Theater’s documentary-preventive performance “Traps”.
Theater creators will hold four theater workshops for Varėna students, children, and families, and the festival program will be supplemented by a new feature – “Festival Day at School”.
September 30, the day the theater festival begins in Varėna, is not accidental. It is the birthday of one of Lithuania’s most prominent theater directors – Dalia Tamulevičiūtė. Having dedicated 35 years to theater, the director has created more than 40 performances and trained 80 actors on Lithuanian theater and television stages. Her work, pedagogical activity, and students have become an important part of Lithuanian theater history.
At the festival, the audience will see the monologue “Vuojaž, vuojaž” by her student, actress Aušra Pukelytė, and two more will come to meet students – Mykolas Vildžiūnas and Povilas Laurinkus. They will share their experiences and talk about theater, discussing the connection – between teacher and student, actor and audience, past and present.
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