Theatre representatives in Milan paid tribute to the memory of director Robert Wilson (1941–2025)

Director Robert Wilson passed away on 31 July 2025 at the age of 83. In the final weeks of his life, he outlined  the public „Memorials“ – communal ceremonies he wanted to be held in four cities that were particularly significant to his life and career: New York, Paris, Berlin and Milan. The final farewell ceremony took place on 1 December in Milan, at the Piccolo Teatro. Those close to R. Wilson, as well as his creative partners, gathered for the occasion. Invited by the organisers, the ceremony was attended by Egidijus Stancikas, General Director of the National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Marketing Deputy Director Agnė Burovienė, actor Dainius Svobonas and technical engineer Tomas Žilinskas.

The ceremony, titled Silence, was minimalist yet deeply expressive. Its programme included the following reminder:

“All those who have ever witnessed Bob address an audience – whether during a lecture, a toast, at a theatre premiere, an exhibition opening, an award ceremony or any other gathering – remember the particular way he would begin. In the first moments, Bob would simply stand in silence. In our hurried, overstimulated world, such pauses may seem unusual, even unsettling or surreal, yet at the same time profoundly moving.

Bob was an admirer of John Cage and deeply influenced by his philosophy; he would often repeat Cage’s reminder that ‘there is no such thing as silence.’ For his farewell ceremony, Bob asked for a long, very long silence.

We invite you now to listen to what you hear, to see what you see, to pray, meditate, sit, remember or imagine. Silence is not empty. It is full, resonant and alive. And perhaps within it, one last message from Bob.”

At the end of the ceremony, actress Maria de Medeiros, editor of a book about the artist Franco Laera, and art historian and curator Elettra Bottazzi shared their memories of Wilson.

General Director of the theatre, Egidijus Stancikas, remarked:

“Standing in Milan’s Piccolo Teatro during Robert Wilson’s final farewell ceremony, I felt that we were taking part in an exceptional ritual filled with silence. Robert Wilson was an artist who knew how to stop time – not only on stage but in life itself. He reminded us that silence can be fuller than words, that it contains what is most essential. For us at the National Kaunas Drama Theatre it was a great gift to know him, to work with him, and to witness the birth of his works. Now, as the world says goodbye to this remarkable creator, our theatre is preparing for his final premiere – Seven Solitudes, based on Oscar Milosz. This is a work he eagerly awaited and worked on with his characteristic precision and inner silence.

Today we understand that Seven Solitudes will not be merely a new production. It will become our shared farewell to Robert Wilson. We hope that this final piece of his will resonate as a gentle yet powerful message from the silence he has left for us.”