The Rainbow musical, which premiered in a packed hall of the Kaunas Artists' House at the end of the year, invites you to performances in Vilnius and Beautiful. A co-creative contemporary stage work performed by LGBTQ+ people and based on their real experiences – the first of its kind in Lithuania. It was created and performed by an ambitious group, accompanied by a team of five professionals, united by queer experiences and the desire to see their authentic image on stage.
This work deliberately defies established stage norms, one of which is the premiere as the first public presentation of the work. The first performance took place in the summer, at the end of the second week of co-creation, in an abandoned barn, with a handful of spectators.
“We joked that we were continuing the wonderful tradition of amateur theater – performing in a stage theater,” says the creative group, which presented the work process publicly several more times, inviting the audience to share their impressions, until the first performance, called the premiere, took place at the end of the year. Does this mean that the work is finished?
"We are a community-based contemporary queer musical – the first of its kind in Lithuania! There is so much to discover and tell on stage, and the creative process is full of curiosity and discoveries. We are not aiming for a point, we want to maintain sensitivity, sincerity, and an authentic relationship with the audience," says director Greta Štiormer.
Usually, a stage work has two lives – before the premiere and after, only the latter is revealed to the public. In this respect, the Rainbow Musical is closer to an artistic performance – instead of characters, there are real people on stage, and the director, together with a professional team, does not direct, but helps to express, to curate. This process is based on respect and empathy, therefore openness throughout the creative process and feedback are extremely important.
"The queer community is not just the object of our research or work, we are a part of it. So, let's create first for ourselves, for us, and about us," the organizers say.
However, the work is not intended only for LGBTQ+ people. For the viewer who has no connections to this community, The Rainbow Musical is a unique opportunity for an open and human encounter with a different sense of the world. And if that is not enough, we invite you to experience “that simple, sincere joy of musical numbers”, as described by theater expert Glyn Roberts, who saw the sketch of the work. The Rainbow Musical is full of memorable melodies, combining contemporary electro-acoustic music, created with composer Jūra Elena Šedytė at the helm, and a libretto full of self-irony, created by playwright Gabrielė Labanauskaitė from the texts of the co-creators.
The premieres of the musical Rainbow will take place on February 12 at 19 p.m. at the Arts Printing House in Vilnius and on the 15 at 19 p.m. at the Kaunas Artists' House.
