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| Elona Bajorinienė |
In 2006, the Vilnius International Theatre Festival Sirenos will explore the theme of theatre and space. As the festival takes place in Lithuania, we cannot and would not like to ignore the context of our culture. We have to acknowledge the fact that the mainstream of the performing arts in our region is locked in traditional theatre spaces and genres. That is why we want to break through and focus on the interventions of theatre into other spaces.
We are interested in the interactions of theatre with public spaces, music, video, texts, cinema and whatsoever. It is called by different names – collage, synthesis, site-specific, total or multidisciplinary theatre. In the end it is always about penetration and artistic unity of elements of different nature. However, it should not be only a nice-looking theatre. We live in a fragmented world, and nobody is able to take in the whole variety of things. Sensitive and inventive artists can put into one kettle an unbelievable mixture of ingredients – vivid experiences, modern technologies, childhood dreams etc., – and create a moving reflection of the contemporary world. Sirenos is looking forward to this kind of theatrical alchemy.
In the third edition of Sirenos we will do many things for the first time.
For the first time we will go out to an open space and build an installation of a huge palace of light for all citizens together with the British Sobieski Uogos: Architects of Air. This project has become possible thanks to our extraordinary partnership with Lithuanian business structures.
For the first time we will hold a joint artistic project Monologues with the already regular participant and friend of the festival, the Belgian theatre Victoria, which is successfully promoting new names and phenomena on the European stage.
For the first time we will act as a co-producer – we have contributed to the making of the new performance of the travelling Finnish director Kristian Smeds Sad Songs from the Heart of Europe, initiated by the Lithuanian Theatre And Cinema Information And Education Centre.
Also we will risk to present the performance that will be premiered on the eve of Sirenos at Zurich Theater Spektakel – we were fascinated by the idea and the international creative team of The Attendant’s Gallery: Stories Of Europe
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| Attendant’s Gallery: Stories Of Europe, assembled by Het Muziek LOD theatre from Ghent |
, assembled by Het Muziek LOD theatre from Ghent.
Having crisscrossed several continents of the world, the actors of the Station House Opera from the United Kingdom will visit Eastern Europe for the first time to adapt their show Roadmetal Sweetbread for the space of one Vilnius theatre during one week.
For the first time we will risk to present Hashirigaki, a performance of magical synthesis by the amalgamator of the festival’s conception Heiner Goebbels, on a big stage two times – with the aim to check if the Lithuanian market is not too small for the giants of non-commercial art, and if we, the organizers of the festival, know how to work on it.
And finally, for the first time we will host an educational program of such a large scale. Approximately fifty participants from various countries will gather to the symposium of young theatre critics held by the International Association of Theatre Critics, and to the symposium of Nordic countries Spacing Out. The latter, organised in collaboration with the Danish National School of Theatre, the Nordic Centre for the Performing Arts – NordScen, and Sirenos festival, has inspired the theme of this year’s festival.
What is constant and unchanging in the so-far short biography of the festival?
It is the traditionally held showcase of Lithuanian theatre presenting the most interesting phenomena of the Lithuanian stage. This year it will be very diverse and distinct, comprising a work in progress (The Road To Damascus by Oskaras Koršunovas, based on Strindberg’s play), alternative theatre (Benas Šarka’s A-Gu-Gu), the artistic pursuits of the new generation (Slipped Disc at the Arts Printing House), and the newest performances by the most successful Lithuanian directors Aidas Giniotis, Ignas Jonynas, Oskaras Koršunovas, Gintaras Varnas and Jonas Vaitkus.
We still believe in the necessity of the festival and its working slogan “New reality – new theatre – for what kind of audience?” The “philosophical stone” of the festival – the aim to be active participants and initiators of new phenomena of the stage art – also remains unchanged.
And, of course, there is no festival without a club! This year, staying faithful to the conception of “interventions”, we invite everyone for an after-show chat to the Skalvija cinema centre!
Elona Bajorinienė
Artistic director
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| The Station House Opera from the UK will visit Eastern Europe for the first time to adapt their show Roadmetal Sweetbread for the space of one Vilnius theatre. Photos courtesy festival Sirenos. |
MAIN PROGRAMME
September 21, Thursday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 18.00
Dea Loher
INNOCENT
Direction: Gintaras Varnas
Kaunas Drama Theatre
Keistuolių Theatre, 19.00
Kęstutis Antanėlis, Sigitas Geda
LOVE AND DEATH IN VERONA
Direction: Aidas Giniotis
Keistuolių Theatre, Vilnius
September 22, Friday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Small Stage, 14.00
August Strindberg
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS
Work in progress
Direction: Oskaras Koršunovas
Klaipėda Drama Theatre
State Youth Theatre, 18.00
Martin McDonagh
PILLOW MAN
Direction: Jonas Vaitkus
State Youth Theatre, Vilnius
Arts Printing House, 22.00
A GU GU
Based on the texts by Gintaras Grajauskas
Direction: Benas Šarka
Gliukų Theatre, Klaipėda
September 23, Saturday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Small Stage, 14.00
Christophe Vekeman, Pam Emmerik, Bart Koubaa, Marius Ivaškevičius, Sigitas Parulskis, Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė
Project MONOLOGUES
Direction: Tanya Hermsen and Katrin Verlende (Belgium)
Victoria Theatre (Belgium) and Festival Sirenos
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 18.00
Brothers Presnyakov
PLAYING THE VICTIM
Direction: Oskaras Koršunovas
OKT / Vilnius City Theatre
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| Kristian Smeds. Sad Songs from the Heart of Europe |
Russian Drama Theatre, 19.00
ROADMETAL SWEETBREAD
Direction: Julian Maynard Smith, Susannah Hart
Station House Opera (United Kingdom)
Arts Printing House, 22.00
Ingrid Lausund
SLIPPED DISC
Direction: Dalia Jokubauskaitė
Arts Printing House, Vilnius
September 24, Sunday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Small Stage, 14.00
Antanas Kučinskas, Birutė Mar
MAKE-UP OPERA
Direction: Birutė Mar, Oskaras Koršunovas
OKT / Vilnius City Theatre
State Youth Theatre, 18.00
Leonid Andreyev
THE LIFE OF MAN
Direction: Ignas Jonynas
State Youth Theatre, Vilnius
Russian Drama Theatre, 19.00
ROADMETAL SWEETBREAD
Direction: Julian Maynard Smith, Susannah Hart
Station House Opera (United Kingdom)
September 25, Monday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Small Stage, 20.00
THE QUIET DANCE BY JONATHAN BURROWS AND MATTEO FARGION
Coproduction: Dance 4 (United Kingdom), Dance Umbrella (United Kingdom), Joint Adventures (Germany), Kaaitheater (Belgium)
September 26, Tuesday
National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 19.00
THE ATTENDANTS’ GALLERY – STORIES OF EUROPE
Direction and music: Koen de Sutter, Dick van der Harst
LOD Theatre (Belgium)
Coproduction: Intercult (Sweden), Exodos (Slovenia), Teatro Obando (Portugal), Hungarian Theatre in Cluj (Romania), La Rose des Vents Villeneuve d’Asq (France)
September 27, Wednesday
Meno fortas, 19.00
International première!
SAD SONGS FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE
Direction: Kristian Smeds (Finland)
Audronis Liuga Production
Coproduction: Baltic Circle (Finland), KunstenFESTIVALdesArts (Belgium), Helsinki festival (Finland), Festival Sirenos
National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 19.00
THE ATTENDANTS’ GALLERY – STORIES OF EUROPE
Direction and music: Koen de Sutter, Dick van der Harst
LOD Theatre (Belgium)
Coproduction: Intercult (Sweden), Exodos (Slovenia), Teatro Obando (Portugal), Hungarian Theatre in Cluj (Romania), La Rose des Vents Villeneuve d’Asq (France)
September 29, Friday
Meno fortas, 19.00
SAD SONGS FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE
Direction: Kristian Smeds (Finland)
Audronis Liuga Production
Coproduction: Baltic Circle (Finland), KunstenFESTIVALdesArts (Belgium), Helsinki festival (Finland), Festival Sirenos
September 30, Saturday
Meno fortas, 19.00
International premiere!
SAD SONGS FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE
Direction: Kristian Smeds (Finland)
Audronis Liuga Production
Coproduction: Baltic Circle (Finland), KunstenFESTIVALdesArts (Belgium), Helsinki festival (Finland), Festival Sirenos
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 19.00
HASHIRIGAKI
Inspired by Gertrude Stein’s The Making Of Americans
Concept and direction: Heiner Goebbels
Theatre Vidy-Lausanne E.T.E. (Switzerland)
Coproduction: Romaeuropa Festival 2000, Deutsches Schauspielhaus (Germany), T&M-Nanterre (France), Hebbel Theater (Germany)
October 1, Sunday
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Big Stage, 19.00
HASHIRIGAKI
Inspired by Gertrude Stein’s The Making Of Americans
Concept and direction: Heiner Goebbels
Theatre Vidy-Lausanne E.T.E. (Switzerland)
Coproduction: Romaeuropa Festival 2000, Deutsches Schauspielhaus (Germany), T&M-Nanterre (France), Hebbel Theater (Germany)
Venues
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Gedimino pr. 4, Vilnius
Meno fortas, Bernardinų g. 8/8, Vilnius
Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy, Tilto g. 16, Vilnius
French Cultural Centre in Vilnius, Didžioji g. 1, Vilnius
Cinema Centre Skalvija, A. Goštauto g. 2/15, Vilnius
Hotel Artis, Liejyklos g. 11/23, Vilnius
Schedule of events is subject to change
Please look for updated information at www.sirenos.lt
