Actress Mila Šablauskaite – 80: about passion for the stage and roles that not only give, but also take away | Culture

From the village of Aukštaitija to the theater stage

The actress grew up in the Dzuk-speaking village of Aukštaitija, she was active and active since childhood. There were miles a lot – the future artist attended readings at school, won prizes in various competitions.

NKDT archive photo/Scene from the play “The Marriage of Figaro”, 1999

Although she dreamed of becoming a nurse or a teacher, the teachers joked that Milea should enter the conservatory (now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater). The girl, who together with her academic friends also worked at the collective farm, was not afraid of the entrance contests, the difficult part of the actress.

Her persistence and courage to face life’s challenges showed even then that this young girl was destined for the stage. Having not seen a single performance, the future actress insisted on going to Vilnius. The stage days of the future legend have begun.

NKDT archive photo/Scene from the performance “America in the Bath”

„This role gave a lot, but at the same time took away“

For M. Šablauskaitei, the Kaunas Drama Theater became her only long-term workplace. After her studies, director Jonas Juraš invited her to Kaunas. Although there were offers to return to Vilnius, the actress remained at the Kaunas theater throughout her life, saying: “I am completely loyal to Kaunas.”

The woman worked as an actress for 54 years (until the end of 2021), and for 20 years she combined acting by leading a troupe of theater actors.

Mile’s first role was in R.Rolan’s play “Games of Love and Death”. However, her name is mostly recognized by the audience from the legendary performance Keturakis “America in the Bath”. It was staged in the Kaunas Drama Theater in 1975, later renovated, but from the first premiere, the character of Agota was played by M. Šablauskaitė.

NKDT archive photo/Scene from the play “Donja Rosita, or the Language of Flowers”, 2003

The director of the play, V. Lencevičius, allowed us to improvise and create, so there was a creative process heavy. “America in the bathhouse” was played on stage for 40 years, 800 performances were performed.

M. Šablauskaitė says that due to her good emotions, she never regretted the challenges of acting – neither folding beds on tour, nor physical exertion: “Once before a performance I was so hoarse that, after saying the first phrase, my colleagues could hardly continue acting because of laughter, and the audience thought that Agotuk has it bosinti”.

Despite this, M. Šablauskaitė did not hide: “This role gave a lot, but at the same time took away, putting a kind of stamp in the eyes of the audience and some directors. Maybe in my youth I would have had more dramatic roles, which appeared in my biography much later…”

The price of passion

The play “Chairs” (dir. L. Zaikauskas) became a turning point in her career, and M. Šablauskaitė moved from the character of Agota to tragic, serious characters. The actress is grateful to fate for all the roles assigned to her. She had to work with such well-known Lithuanian directors as J. Vaitkus, G. Padegimas, A. Lebeliūnas, G. Varnas.

For her roles in the plays “Nekalti” and “Donja Rosita, or the Language of Flowers”, the actress was awarded prestigious awards – “Golden Stage Cross” and “Fortuna”.

NKDT archive photo/Scene from the play “Chairs”

All the roles required a lot of work and a lot of dedication – the kind that takes away the strength, but at the same time fills the heart with indescribable fulfillment.

“The invisible, restrained tears of my aging Nanny (“Donja Rosita or the Language of Flowers”) tore no less than a loud sob. After the performance, I felt empty, as if my insides had been carved out…”, the actress said.

Due to the heavy load and dedication of one hundred percent, the actress had to end up in the hospital. “I was a workaholic. I worked, I ran, I didn’t feel sorry for myself, – she admitted, – “but the roles and performances revived me, I immediately regained my strength.”

Dmitri Matveyev’s photo/Scene from the play “Innocent”

The power of an actress’ vocation

The biggest compliment to the actress was when the audience or relatives said after the performance: “You must have said it in your own words.” This phrase reflects M. Šablauskaitė’s mastery – when the words of the play sound like a speech coming from the heart.

This ability was no mere accident. For M. Šablauskaite, observing life and people was a great school, which allowed her not only to reproduce, but also to embody reality on stage. While riding the trolley or watching the children in the yard, she chose from the characters of life as if from a pantry – everything was captured, everything was waiting for the right moment to be revived when the curtain rose.

The actor’s profession, according to the legend of the theater, is exclusive and difficult: to feel the character or not. She managed to “sneak” into the person written in the play. Besides, according to M. Šablauskaitė, a real actor does not play for laurels or money, but for people, the audience.

NKDT archive photo/Scene from the musical performance “The Opera of the Poor”

The last premiere performances of the actress were “Sombras” based on the works of FGLorca and L. Pirandello (dir. G. Varnas), “Wind in the Willows” by A. Landsberg (dir. G. Padegimas).

Today, observing the life of the theater from the sidelines, the actress is happy with the care of her family – the attention of her son Kęstutis and granddaughter Agnė and wishes: “Let us be spiritually rich. Let’s not do each other harm. Create with desire, with joy. What is begun, let it be finished.”

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