Nacionalinis Kauno dramos teatras

Gintaras Varnas

Director

Gintaras Varnas  studied from 1988 to 1993 in the Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy, faculty of theater where he specialized in theater directing (tutored by Jonas Vaitkus and Rimas Tuminas). In 1997 he graduated from master‘s and post-graduate studies in the Lithuanian Music Academy faculty of theater, where he gained a master of arts degree. From 1980 to 1983 he worked as a stage worker and director‘s assistant in Lithuanian Russian Drama Theater, from 1984 to 1986 as the director of amateur theater studio and from 1987 to 1988 as a director’s assistant in National Kaunas Drama Theater. Gintaras Varnas became famous in 1988 when established the Shepa theater where he directed until 1992. From 1989 to 2004 he worked as a freelance director. Later, he directed the plays in State Youth, Vilnius Small, Lithuanian and Kaunas Academic Drama theaters, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater, the Latvian National Opera. The director constantly internships abroad and participates in independent projects. Since the spring of 2004 until the end of 2007 he worked as  an art director of Kaunas Drama Theater. Varnas is credited with establishing the theater Utopia.


The Most Important Works in Theatre

2023
Antonio Vivaldi  The Triumpf of Judith
National  Kaunas Drama Theatre, theatre UTOPIA
2019
Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Bagatela Theatre in Kraków, Poland
Sombras by Luigi Pirandello and Federico Garcia Lorca
Utopia Theatre, National Kaunas Drama Theatre
2018
Ghetto by Joshua Sobol
National Kaunas Drama Theatre
2017
Nathan the Wise by G. E. Lessing
National Kaunas Drama Theatre
2014
Biography: A Play Acting by Max Frisch
National Kaunas Drama Theatre
2011
Tiny Dynamite by Abi Morgan
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
2010
The Public by Federico García Lorca
Utopia Theatre
2009
Devastated Country – Vilnius by Tankred Dorst, Ursula Ehler
Utopia Theatre
2008
Decalogue by Audronis Liuga, Gintaras Varnas
Utopia Theatre
Šekspyriada based on William Shakespeare
Utopia Theatre
Duel of Tancredi and Clorinda  and Dance of the Ungrateful by Claudio Monteverdi
Project Baroque Dialogues, Vilnius – the European Capital of Culture
Roosevelt Square by Dea Loher
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
2007
Hail of Stars by Gintaras Varnas, Gabrielė Labanauskaitė
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
2006
Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
2005
Innocence by Dea Loher
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
The Lighthouse by Timothee de Fombelle
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
10 Indians by Agatha Christie
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Klara's Relationships by Dea Loher
Latvian Art Theatre
2004
Crime and Punishment by Fiodor Dostojevskij
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Devastated Land by Tankred Dorst, Ursula Ehler
Joint project of Kaunas State Drama Theatre, Arts Printing House and SEAS
2003
Dona Rosita, or Language of Flowers by Federico Garcia Lorca
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
2002
A Masked Ball by Giuseppe Verdi
Latvian National Opera
Portia Coughlan by Marina Carr
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
2001
Distant Land by Jean-Luc Lagarce
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Pique Dame by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
2000
Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi
Latvian National Opera
Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Dream by August Strindberg
Nitra A. Bagaro Drama Theatre, Slovakia
1999
Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Salome by Richard Strauss
Latvian National Opera
1998
Heda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
1997
Great Theatre of the World by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Project of specific space Observatory
Time and Room by Botho Strauss
Lithuanian State Academic Drama Theatre
1996
Audience by Federico Garcia Lorca
Lithuanian State Academic Drama Theatre
1995
Stranger by Albert Camus
Lithuanian State Academic Drama Theatre
1993
If Five Years Passed by Federico Garcia Lorca
Vilnius Small Theatre
1990
Communist Nostalgias by Jovita Žabaitė
Šėpa Theatre
1989
Lullaby of Revolution by Liudvikas Jakimavičius
Šėpa Theatre
Valiant King based on Lithuanian folk tales
Lithuanian State Youth Theatre
1987
Bezdukas based on Lithuanian folk tales
1986
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Clambake by Aleksandr Blok
1984
Luggage of Rubbish by Ljudmila Petrushevskaja

Festivals

2013
Festival Mondial Des Theatres de Marionnettes, Charleville, France
2011
ACB - scène nationale de Bar-Le-Duc, Bar-le-Duc, France
2009
Baltic Theater Festival, Tartu, Estonia
Moscow International Theater Festival Zolotaja maska, Moscow, Russia
2007
Tours in Paris, Sough Theater, France
International Theater Festival Raduga, St. Petersburg, Russia
2004
Sirens, Lithuania
1999
Divadelna Nitra, Slovakia
Homo novus, Riga, Latvia
1998
Contact, Torune, Poland
1997
Baltoscandal, Rakvere, Estonia
1991
Theatre trip in Norway, Canada, USA
Baltijskij dom, Saint Petersburg, Russia
1990
International theatre action, Moscow, Russia
Baltoscandal, Piarnu, Estonia
1986
Students’ theatre festival, Tartu, Estonia

Awards

2018
Fortune Award for Nathan the Wise (National Kaunas Drama Theatre and Utopia Theatre) and for directing The Pillowman (Utopia Theatre, Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Golden Cross of the Stage 2017 (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius 2017) nomination for Nathan the Wise (National Kaunas Drama Theatre and Utopia Theatre) and for directing The Pillowman (Utopia Theatre, Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
2015
Golden Cross of the Stage 2014 (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius 2014) for opera Cornet (Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre) and for drama performance Biography: A Play Acting
2011
Golden Cross of the Stage (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius) nomination for the Best Play of the Year for the play The Public“
2006
Fortune Award for the best performance of the season in Kaunas for the play Innocence by Dea Loher
Golden Cross of the Stage (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius) nomination for the Best Director of the season for the play Innocence by Dea Loher
National Culture and Art award
2005
Golden Cross of the Stage (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius) award for the Best Director for Crime and Punishment by F. Dostojevskij, Devastated Land by Dea Loher and The Lighthouse by Timothee de Fombelle
Fortune Award for the Best Directing of the Year in Kaunas for the play Crime and Punishment by F. Dostojevskij
The main prize of the festival Lithuanian Theater Spring for the play Crime and Punishment by F. Dostojevskij
2004
Golden Cross of the Stage (Lith. Auksinis scenos kryžius) award for the Best Opera for the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Kaunas Association of Art Creators prize for the play Crime and Punishment by F. Dostojevskij
2002
St. Christopher‘s award for the Best Directing for the play Distant Land by Jean-Luc Lagarce
2001
St. Christopher‘s award for the Best Opera, received together with the conductor for the opera Queen of Spades
2000
St. Christopher‘s award for the Best Directing for the play Heda Gabler by H. Ibsen
1999
Fortune Award (Lith. Fortūnos apdovanojimas) for the Best Directing of the Year in Kaunas for the play Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill
1998
Fortune Award (Lith. Fortūnos apdovanojimas) for Best Directing of the Year in Kaunas for the play Heda Gabler by H. Ibsen

Other projects

2017
Member of the International Oversight Committee of the Epidaurus Lyceum Ancient Drama Summer School (Greece, Athens-Epidaurus Festival).
2016
Artistic advisor in an international project of higher theater schools Acting and identity. Performativity and heritage. Participated in the selection of young artists, their proposed topics, led the construction of the Lithuanian part of the project. The result was shown at the Kilowatt Festival in Sansepolcro, Italy.
2015
In Lithuanian National Drama Theater, presentated the initiated and prepared project Drama Drawer. The most significant dramas of various periods have been digitized and translated on the created website dramustalcius.lt.
2009
Organizer and artistic director of the Decalogue – Dialogue festival of European higher education schools. Vilnius - European Capital of Culture 2009 educational art program European School of Arts. Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, Frankfurt Higher School of Music and Theater, Milan Drama Academy, Strasbourg National Higher School of Theater Arts, Lyon National Higher School of Theater Arts and Technology. (Vilnius, Lyon, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Milan)
2006
The festival of contemporary Lithuanian drama Lithuanian Drama Panorama was initiated and organized at Kaunas State Drama Theater.
2004
SEAS – an international project of contemporary art. Production of Devastated Country by T. Dorst (with other co-producers). It was performed in several cities, like Klaipeda Shipyard and Gdansk Shipyard, Poland.
1997
EURALIEN - international project of specific space in Stockholm (director of the episode Bus).

Theatre archive

This theater archive preserves personalities occurring since the year 1920. If you have any material in your personal archives regarding the Kaunas National Drama Theater, its actors, or history, and would like to share it - please contact us, using the e-mail address spauda@dramosteatras.lt

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