On March 2, celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Vilnius State Small Theatre will invite you to a festive program of events lasting several months - its highlights will be the latest performance by Oskaras Koršunovas "The Time of Kant" based on the play by Marius Ivaškevičius and a musical-poetic spectacle with the "NoJo Airlines" orchestra, assembled by the exceptionally talented and artistic Lithuanian percussionist, composer and conductor Dalius Naujokaitis-Nauj (JAV).
"The Vilnius Small Theatre has always been a place that connects different generations of artists and audiences, respects the past and is open to new artistic forms. In the context of Lithuanian theatres, it stands out for its special attention to Lithuanian dramaturgy and a lively look at the works of national classics. Today's theatre gently provokes us to rethink our changing identity and celebrate its vibrant present," says Gabrielė Tuminaitė, head of the theatre's art department and director.
Koršunov and Ivaškevičius: capturing the pulse of the times
The main highlight of the theater's birthday events will be the joint return of director Oskaras Koršunovas and playwright Marius Ivaškevičius to the grand stage of Lithuanian theater. The performance "Kanto's Time" by the duo, who consistently explore new theatrical territories, returns on the occasion of the celebration in the form of a completed work - last year, when the world celebrated the 300th anniversary of the birth of the founder of German classical philosophy Immanuel Kant, a sketch was presented at the Vilnius Small Theater, which has already received great attention from the audience and critics.
"Kant's Time" will invite you to immerse yourself in a time imbued with a sense of fateful changes. The play takes you to Königsberg in 1784. The Great French Revolution is blowing in your face, but the philosopher, following the usual ritual of having a long lunch in male company, sits at the table. Unlike the complex and confusing thinking of I. Kant, who left behind one of the most significant works in the history of human thought, the play opens up the Kantian world without avoiding elements of absurdity, playfulness and humor, while at the same time drawing an (in)direct parallel with today's times.
M. Ivaškevičius's plays mark a new approach to the interpretation of historical figures in Lithuanian dramaturgy. "The Time of Kant" is his third play at this theatre, which seeks not to recreate actual reality, but to open up the human dimension and provoke discussions about the development of the national character in different historical periods. In 2004, "Madagascar" was released, which became a cultural phenomenon, directed by Rimas Tuminas, the founder and long-time artistic director of the Vilnius Small Theatre, and demythologized an alternative vision of Lithuanian history. In 2010, the legendary director presented the play "Mistras" based on M. Ivaškevičius's play, taking an unconventional look at the biography of the poet Adomas Mickevičius and critically raising the issue of longing for national heroes.
The creative team of the performance includes nationally and internationally recognized artists who have collaborated with O. Koršunovs for many years – set designer Gintaras Makarevičius, costume designer Sandra Straukaitė, composer Antanas Jasenka, choreographer Vesta Grabštaitė, video artist Rimas Sakalauskas, and lighting designer Eugenijus Sabaliauskas. The roles are created by actors well known to the audience: Kirilas Glušajevas, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Ramūnas Cicėnas, Mantas Vaitiekūnas, Daumantas Ciunis, Leonardas Pobedonoscevas, Jokūbas Bareikis, Greta Bendžė, Gintarė Latvėnaitė, Vytautas Rumšas Jr., and Ilona Kvietkutė.
Birthday celebration in musical-poetic horror
The theater's birthday party will be replaced by a musical and poetic spectacle with the NoJo Airlines orchestra - the theater hall will become a runway for a crew of more than fifty pilots and passengers, overcome by festive madness, assembled by D. Naujokaitis-Naujas. The NoJo Airlines orchestra, which performs with a different lineup each time, creates a musical and stage adventure with each performance, crossing different countries and continents.
This time, the festive flight will be joined by the extraordinary artist Giuseppe Zevola from Naples (Italy), who creates visionary universes of ideas and objects through artistic installations. G. Zevola is known to the Lithuanian public not only from flights with NoJo Airlines – in 2013, his exhibition “Bread and Drawings” was held at the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center in Vilnius. The location of the exhibition was not chosen by chance – G. Zevola’s acquaintance with Lithuania and creative collaboration with D. Naujokaitis began in the circle of J. Mekas’ friends and like-minded people in New York.
The friendship of the Vilnius Small Theatre with D. Naujokaitis began with one of the largest and most original theatre projects of recent times – the joint performance “Infinity” (2022) by director G. Tuminaitė and the “NoJo Airlines Orchestra”. In the performance-concert, the theme of the struggle between good and evil, accompanied by a musical performance that transcends the usual genres and performance methods, opened up not a primitively actualized, but a deeper and broader semantic plane of these fundamental themes. The improvisation of the “NoJo Airlines” orchestra became a creative and order-restoring force, which will return with a new sound in the festive concert.
On March 2, a private screening of Oskaras Koršunovas' performance "Kanto Laikas" based on the play by Marius Ivaškevičius will take place as a gift to the theater community. On April 25–26, the premiere of the performance will take place for the audience of the State Vilnius Small Theater.
On March 8, the "NoJo Airlines Orchestra" concert dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the State Vilnius Small Theatre will take place concertThe event is partially sponsored by Arūnas Martinkevičius.
