Festival DIVE INTO THE THEATRE: international, interactive, rescuing from routine
On March 12-17, the festival “Dive into the Theater” returns to the National Kaunas Drama Theater. After a break of more than a year, the festival has grown into an international and engaging theater event, featuring performances by three foreign troupes, an experimental premiere and many workshops.
“Escape the routine, dive into the theater” – festival organizers invite. And in fact, the theatre gourmets and those who only began opening the theater doors will find interesting activities in the rich program of the festival with more than 40 different workshops. The choice is abundant and divided by age groups. And now it is time for a penetrating look at the festival’s calendar.
Tuesday (March 12). The festival will be enriched by a special premiere of “Kaunas Wi-Fi”, a theatrical experiment in 3D, with artists Ariel Sereni Brown, Asaf Schouten (Israel) and NKDT actors. This show will premier on March 12 at 7 pm and will be repeated on March 13 at 2 pm in Rūta’s Hall.
Wednesday (March 13) is the day for school trips. They will be hosted by actors Ugnė Žirgulė, Artūras Sužiedėlis, administrator Rimantas Štaras and theater director Egidijus Stancikas. We admire the roles portrayed by actors on the stage, we discuss spectacular costumes and sincerely applaud after the performance. And how do they spend their days in the theater? Where is the makeup room and how does it look like? Where is the place the most important decisions are made? All the questions will be answered during the meetings.
Thursday (March 14) is the day for make-up, theater games, modern dance and other workshops for younger school-age children.
We climb higher by one step on March 15 in the workshop for “trying on” theatrical occupations: the director, the light artist, the stage designer and the psychodrama activity, offering this versatile choice for the elders.
Saturday (March 16) is the day for families. An excursion of 2500 steps around the theater offers the training of sensations and imagination (for the smallest) and the scenography workshops for those who are not tired yet. Just remember to breathe out after breathing in. Or maybe the other way round.
Festival performances
“What about them !?” They are very diverse and suitable for the little ones or marked with a sign N-16.
“Strange Feathers”. Specially brought to the festival by the troupe “Fidgetfeet” (Ireland). It is a musical, non-verbal performance of air acrobatics for viewers from 18 months up to 7 years. The unconventional stage space tells a simple and cosy story about two little birds learning to fly. The premier is scheduled on March 16 (Saturday) 3 pm and 5 pm, the Main Stage.
Another performance for the little ones “Around the World 2” (“Labai teatras”). It’s an impromptu 55-minute journey around the world with lots of music, wild fantasy and games. The audience becomes the participants of this trip, the captains of the ship, the airplane and even the residents of the visited countries. With actors Agnė Sunklodaitė and Vytautas Rašimas. From 3 years old. March 14, 10 am and 12 pm. Rūta’s Hall.
Two more performances are presented by the troupe “Kompani13” from Norway.
The first is a non-verbal puppet theater performance “Float”. Recommended age – from 4 years. The performance tells the little ones about the very important things – the fragility of nature, human responsibility and a hopeful future. What impact does the nature have on the technologies created and developed by mankind? Is nature strong enough to cure itself from the excessive consumption and waste created by the mankind? The premier is scheduled on March 16. The Small Stage, 10:30 am and 12 pm.
The other performance of this troupe “Romeo and Juliet” is for the youngsters from 12 years old. It is a performance without luxurious costumes, colorful decorations or light effects. Here, all the roles are skillfully performed by two actors, telling a well-known Shakespeare’s story using only their voices, hands and bodies. There are no passive observers in the performance! The play will be performed in English and will be shown on March 15, at 1 pm and 3 pm. Rūta’s Hall.
All the performances of the guests are based on the principles of interactive theater – the audience participates in the action and even influences it.
The performance “Mindaugas” of the Šiauliai State Drama Theater is presented to the older audience. A young team of theater creators from Germany has looked at the classic of Lithuanian dramaturgy and theater “Mindaugas” without prejudices, authorities and stereotypes. The director of the performance, Nikolas Darnstädt, has been looking for the signs of this historically significant drama in modern Lithuania: where is Lithuania heading to today and what is the meaning of a homeland? Where does the strong leader’s sense of longing come from? What wounds from the past prevent us from moving forward? What does the nation consist of? The premier is scheduled on March 15, 6 pm. The Main Stage. It is meant for the audience from 14 years old.
The festival will be completed by Ariel Sereni Brown’s performance “A-hole Fuckin Loser” (N-16), whose creative team comes from Israel. This performance is a direct broadcast of the narcissist’s journey through a prism of the Photo Booth program. The performance will take place on March 17, 6 pm. The Main Stage.
It is also important to mention the names of workshop hosts: actress Kristina Savickytė-Damanskienė, director Povilas Makauskas, stage designer Marta Vosyliūtė, actor Gintautas Bejeris, motion pedagogue Ema Senkuvienė, actress and psychodrama specialist Daiva Rudokaitė, psychodrama practitioner Gintarė Kazakevičienė and others.
Art lovers will have a chance to participate in a nocturnal event “Art does not sleep”. On March 15, a 6-hour long event will begin in the evening for the night people, with Ignas Andriuškevičius (electronic music), Karolina Bielskytė (video projections) and Viltė Svarplytė (contemporary dance).
The ticket prices do not bite, and the workshop ticket applies special discounts for the festival’s performances. Follow this link for more information: www.nerkas.lt
National Kaunas Drama Theater’s information
