Upcoming premiere „The Reunification of the Two Koreas“ with EN surtitles on 19,20th of April

On 19, 20, and 21  April 2024 theatre invites to the premiere by French playwright Joël Pommerat “The Reunification of the Two Koreas“ by Lithuanian director Artūras Areima.

He is one of the most interesting theater artists in Lithuania. Along with OKT / Vilnius City Theater he created “Julius Caesar”, in Kaunas National Drama Theater presented “The Robbers”, “The Cherry Orchard”, “Together”. In AAT | Artūro Areimos theatre born performances “Under Ice”, “Richard II: Post factum”, “Loser”, “Medea’s Room”, “Klamm’s War”, “Antichrist” and other director’s works constantly provoke critics and audience discussion. A. Areima – not once reached the professional performing arts evaluator’s highest rating. In 2013 for new stage expression forms searches, the director got the highest Lithuanian award for innovative and original theater solutions: Borisas Dauguvietis earring, in 2013, 2014, and 2015 he was nominated for the Lithuania’s highest theatrical award: Golden Stage Cross in the stage director category, in 2014 was evaluated by Ministry of Culture for Young Artist Award, in 2015 Lithuania highest theatrical award: Golden Stage Cross his staging “Mechanical Heart” was recognized as the best performance of the year for children and young people, and with Lithuanian Cultural Council support, last summer at the world’s largest arts festival in Edinburgh Fringe by presenting his performance “Under ice”, British theater jury assessed A. Areima by a special “Summerhall” arts center award (“Jawbone” award for one of the most memorable moments of the festival).

Artūras Areima’s artistic position balances classical theater, epic theater, and modern times performing traditions (with physical theater, contemporary dance-related resolution, and performative practices). The director is constantly looking for individual access to each of his works, taking into account the aesthetic and social transformations of reality. His creative existence so far might be generalized as ‘never-ending research of itself’. Also is a founder of AAT Theatre.

In the play the French playwright Joël Pommerat explores the feeling of love, combining the curiosity of a scientist and the passion of an artist. The director Artūras Areima is taking over this playful game. The performance features fragmented stories about a variety of colours and manifestations of love/lovelessness. Sometimes love is comic, sometimes melodramatic, banal, ironic, absurd, surreal, or as complicated as the relationship between two hostile states. On the field of love, battles are fought, destinies are shattered, the most delicate nuances of feelings are stirred, and everybody is striving for the impossible – the perfect fulfillment of love. But perfection is hardly possible because lovelessness, indifference, loss and disappointment are just different stages of the same emotion. This collage of moments and random dialogues wittily lampoons the clichés of relationships taken from literature, cinema and television.

Set designer  Oles  Makukhin, costumes designer Valdemara Jasulaityte, Composer Mantvydas Leonas Pranulis, video artist  Kristijonas Dirsė, light designer Julius Kuršys. Translated from French by Akvilė Melkūnaitė.

Cast: Andrius Alešiūnas, Arnas Ašmonas, Mantas Bendžius, Eugenija Bendoriūtė, Deividas Breivė, Tomas Erbrėderis, Martyna Gedvilaitė, Vilija Grigaitytė, Motiejus Ivanauskas, Liubomiras Laucevičius, Gytis Laskovas, Kamilė Lebedytė, Vaidas Maršalka, Pijus Narijauskas, Miglė Navasaitytė, Inesa Paliulytė, Goda Petkutė, Monika Poderytė, Dainius Svobonas, Sigitas Šidlauskas, Ugnė Žirgulė, Ridas Žirgulis.

Premiere – 2024 April 19, 20, 21 (titles only 19, 20 April)  at the Main Hall. Duration 2:30.