Upcoming premier THE ORIGINALS (August 21)

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, the oldest professional theatre in Lithuania, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Probably only a few of us know how everything happened 100 years ago: who were those people that vowed their lives to the establishment of the theatre, in what conditions had they worked, how did they live and what were they dreaming about? Let’s go back to the interwar period in Kaunas and to the apartment of director Juozas Vaičkus at the Kęstutis street, where people, for whom the idea of an upcoming theatre was the main aim and essence of their lives, gathered. The first actors, directors, playwrights, and set designers lived in deprivation and poverty; however, they had endless devotion and eagerness when rehearsing their first play: Sudermann’s Fires of St. John. Our originals are living people that create, feel love, hate, and envy; without them, we would not be here. “The originals” is a play of Gytis Padegimas about those that have been the first ones to step onto the undiscovered theatrical land, settle there, cherish this land, and leave it for us to continue living there.

 Director and playwright: Gytis Padegimas

Set and costume designer: Birutė Ukrinaitė

Composer: Raimundas Martinkėnas

Visual projection artist: Linartas Urniežius

Actors: Deividas Breivė, Greta Šepliakovaitė, Povilas Jatkevičius, Jurgita Maskoliūnaitė, Saulė Sakalauskaitė, Roberta Sirgedaitė, Aistė Zabotkaitė, Kamilė Lebedytė, Marius Karolis Gotbergas, Edgaras Žemaitis, Mantas Bendžius, Pijus Narijauskas, Motiejus Ivanauskas, Andrius Alešiūnas, Dovydas Pabarčius, Artūras Sužiedėlis.

The premiere and the play are presents to the anniversary of the professional Lithuanian theatre: 19 December 2020, it will celebrate 100 years.

Premiere: 21 August, 24 September, and 30 October 2020 in the Main Stage

Director Juozas Vaičkus and actor Deividas Breivė