“Vilnius Old Theater is on the path of reform and change. Apparently, some kind of transformation will take place or will try to take place in the next four years, and it is very interesting to see what that reform will turn into. How will the face of the theater, the atmosphere of the theater change. Touching the beginning of the theater, jumping on the first stop while waiting for the trolleybus of change is very interesting”, A. Jankevičius shared his thoughts before the fast-approaching premiere.
Director and playwright A. Jankevičius is interviewed by Ingrida Ragelskienė.
– How did the idea of writing “Reform” come about? How important is this play to the audience, to society?
– It was, if I’m not mistaken, 2018. I was in Slovenia at the time. I rehearsed a performance with such a Slovenian street theater. One night after rehearsal, my sister called. She said that the primary school in my hometown of Skapiškis was being converted into a primary school, and there was a threat that it would be closed altogether. And this means that there will be no young people left in the town. The town will die.
The news shocked me. I remembered the protests of educators in Vilnius, when they climbed into the ministry through the window. At that time, the topic of mass emigration in Europe, which probably started in 2015, continued, which still divides society.
That evening I had a thought: let’s say there is such a town in Lithuania – Skakiškis – and it was decided to close the school. Three of the most active female educators created a hooligan plan to bring refugees from Holland and “fill” the school, thus saving it from closing. This is how the plot and characters began to be “written”. I changed one letter in the name of the town.
The problem of “school holidays” is particularly acute in the province. We can understand everything, but we react differently emotionally. Another thing is that this reform deprives many towns of the opportunity to stay young.
As for the refugees, the play uses a real story: in a Dutch town, many absurd things happened between the townspeople and the numerous refugees. Chaos ensued, which was ignored by the authorities for various reasons. The story ended on a sad note…
From several segments, I wrote an “adventure” or “road play” play, a journey of teachers from nothingness to high hopes and expectations, which ends with a return to the same starting point.
So, I wrote a play “adventure” or “road play” from several segments – a journey of teachers from nothingness to high hopes and expectations, which ends with a return to the same starting point ending with the question: “What next?”
– Is your work autobiographical? Maybe there are specific teachers hiding behind the characters of the idealistic heroes Laimė, Vakare, Hope?
– The situations are real, for example, the last monologue is based on a real event, but the teachers themselves do not have prototypes. When I started writing those sketches, there was no definite image of what those teachers were like. They came from names, and these from one of J. Jarmusch’s films.
Three names appeared: Happiness, Evening and Hope. It became clear what positions they will occupy: Laimė, a teacher of Lithuanian literature, there is no such project without her, Vakarė – a physical education teacher, and Viltis – a religion teacher. Everything on the principle of color contrast. They seem to be far from each other. But certain circumstances, the smallness of the town, the chemical bonds between people and the problem bring them closer together.
Laura Vansevičienė’s photo/Director and playwright Agnius Jankevičius
In the Periphery, there isn’t much choice for people to interact with, and it even reinforces Reform’s plot collision.
– The premiere will take place immediately after September 1, the Holiday of Knowledge and Science. Is the play aimed primarily at teachers?
– We had to face the first reactions of teachers already this June, when we played an excerpt from “Reforma” by Dalia Tamulevičiūtė in the competition of stage artworks by Lithuanian authors in Varėna. Two teachers came to thank me. One person was surprised that we didn’t win here, because, in his opinion, that particular play reflects the values of theater fostered by Dalia Tamulevičiūtė.
Another man of respectable age asked for the text of “Reforma”, I asked for what purpose, he said that he would give it to the students to read so that they would learn the text by heart.
Meeting the teachers’ reactions would be very necessary for this performance, maybe it would even make sense to invite the teachers to “Reform” in October, during Teacher’s Day.
Meeting the teachers’ reactions would be very necessary for this performance, maybe it would even make sense to invite the teachers to “Reform” in October, during Teacher’s Day. And be sure to stay to talk with such unique viewers after the performance.
– You call the play a satire, although in my mind it is a black comedy. Laughter through tears and horror, especially in the finale. Why do you talk about “walking Lithuania” through the prism of laughter?
– An old Korean proverb says: “Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you, cry and you will be alone.” Therefore.
It is also said – there is Vilnius and there is the rest of Lithuania. In various aspects. What is an authority in Vilnius is not necessarily so in the province. In the play, one teacher turns to a journalist, who is the face of fair journalism, to use his publicity to influence and stop the closing of the school, but the woman realized that he is just a toy. In the province of Lithuania, there is a great sense of disappointment with the authorities.
– What is your path as a writing artist? Can it be said that your debut as a playwright is “Poliklinika” created in 2008? There were also “Route”, “Mutiny”, “Book of the Samurai”, “Holiday”, 2018. nominated for the Golden Stage Cross in the Dramaturgy category “Mari Kardona”, “Vamzdis”. A director who writes plays – a phenomenon?
– In “Poliklinika” I was more of a “creative editor”, “editor” than a playwright, writing a play from to… Although from a cognitive point of view, it was an interesting journey to understand how a word – a story turns into a body – literature.
I’m not a phenomenon. After all, we have director and playwright Aleksandras Špilevoj. When I was still studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, the “interdisciplinary nature” of one person was viewed with disbelief, let’s say that. A director must direct, an actor must act, a playwright must write. It was not encouraged to try one’s strength in another sphere.
The first Aidas Giniotis began to assign tasks to his students to write one-act plays. This is how Justas Tertelis, who constantly writes plays, Marija Korenkaitė, the author of “Escape to Acropolis” appeared. In Western Europe, many theater directors create based on their own texts.
As a director, I understand that the text is only a segment. The text is not a monument to dance about.
– What is writing for you personally? Can you imagine another director directing your plays?
– I wrote all the texts knowing that they would be realized on stage, except for the not-yet-produced “Pipe”, written during the pandemic. Theaters commission a play to be written on a specific topic, and take care of financing. In practice, I never wrote “in the drawer”. Why? Not sure how quickly the idea will get old. You don’t want the play to turn into mold. Reality is very dynamic, and some texts are a sign of the times.
Another thing is that definition activates creativity. The brain does not “swim”, it works purposefully. After all, I don’t want a specific theater to suffer if we don’t create a performance. Of course, I have set my texts free. I have no complaints against the directors, they can cut and rewrite my plays. As a director, I understand that the text is only a segment. The text is not a monument to dance about.
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2024-08-24 07:06:11
