Biographical improvisations LAND OF RAIN

Alternative theatre showcase

OUT OF(F) CIRCLE

Organizer: Theatre Open Circle I Vilnius City Theatre

27 September performance is shown with simultaneous translation into English (if there is no less than 20 percent foreign guests)

LAND OF RAIN

Biographical improvisations

„Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.“ (George Santayna)

The Land of Rain is a set of biographical improvisations which speak in voices of the cast, seated in a circle, about the events of the first half of the XX century, which have left the deepest imprint in Lithuanian history. The interwoven stories of people who had lived between the World Wars and during the post-war years – true stories which tell actual life-events of the production creators' grandparents, relatives, or complete strangers – reveal the difficult choices simple Lithuanian folks had to make as they found themselves in a ruthless political situation, and speak of their daily struggle to remain human. The Land of Rain does not get involved in accusations or politicized polemics – the production touches the history of Lithuania through fragmentary patchwork of life-events, woven into the total fabric of the production which is distinguished by its gentle, soft-spoken patriotism and finesse.

The stories of actual people who had once lived, as they are recreated and interpreted by the actors onstage, emerge out of tiny details, sounds, glances, or even some authentic objects, which let the viewer feel an even closer proximity to the living and breathing past. In The Land of Rain, human joys and woes, happy and unhappy love stories, relationships and experiences – the elements of every individual's and nation's existence that remain indelible even in the face of worst repressions and political upheavals – blend into a sensitive and personal un-textbook-like history lesson.

Directed by Aidas Giniotis

Cast: Giedrius Kiela, Jurgis Marčėnas, Ieva Stundžytė, Justina Smieliauskaitė / Vesta Šumilovaitė, Jonas Šarkus, Justas Tertelis, Benita Vasauskaitė, Judita Urnikytė.

Set and costume designer Ramunė Skrebūnaitė

Premiere: 30 November, 2011

Target group: 14+

* In 2012 the performance won the viewer’s prize for the best small stage performance at the Spring of Lithuanian Theatres’12 festival.

* In 2012 the performance was nominated for the Golden Stage Cross, the most prestigious performing arts award in Lithuania, for the best national dramaturgy.