The premiere of the dramatist’s latest play “Good weather, if you don’t think too much”, directed by the author herself, will take place in Vilnius Old Theater on November 9 and 10. The play tackles the topics of history, memory, historical trauma, guilt, and the Holocaust, which are more relevant than ever. Are we really learning and is it possible to learn from history? Only one thing is clear – only human nature does not change.
– What prompted you to choose the themes of historical trauma, guilt and the Holocaust? To what extent has it been influenced by historical and current contexts?
– Last summer, Aurimas Šved’s book “Irena Veisaitė: life should be clear” fell into my hands, in which Professor I. Veisaitė’s conversations with the author are immortalized. Some of the conversations are memories of survivors of the Holocaust in Lithuania. My own understanding of the Holocaust was, I will admit, quite school-based. Reading it did not leave a growing sense of shame.
How did it happen that people who experienced and survived such a tragedy, people I passed on the street or even at performances, people who made up a huge part of Lithuanian society before the Second World War, do not have an awareness of the tragedy in my consciousness. There was almost no awareness of what was happening here and what an important part of society we lost. Most of us know Anne Frank.
However, probably not many people know Icchokas Rudaševskis – a teenager imprisoned in the Vilnius ghetto, who also wrote a diary and documented the life of the ghetto. However, the depth of the tragedy, its scale and importance was not realized. And the fact that this is also my historical memory – also not. As far as I can see, many people could say something similar. In other words, I decided to investigate, to try to reflect at least a part of all this in the play.
Then the October 7th attack happened in Israel. Not only that, anti-Semitism emanating from various angles began to emerge. Scary and ugly. Bringing these topics to the surface seems more necessary than ever.
However, I would not like to use the word “guilt” in this context. I agree with the thoughts expressed by Professor Saulius Suziedelis in an interview, that collective guilt is not the most productive way to name things. However, those of us born after the war are not guilty of what some of our ancestors did. A more appropriate word, according to the professor, would be collective shame. I agree. I also agree with the idea that it is important to study the uncomfortable details about the Holocaust in Lithuania – it will only make us stronger.
– You are the author of the play “Good weather if you don’t think too much” and the director of your own play. How do you balance these two vocations?
– Today, I do not see these two aspects of creating a performance as fundamentally different. Of course, both directing and dramaturgy require different skills, but I don’t think they contradict or interfere with each other. I am interested in theater art itself, and it can be created in any way – you can divide the works and functions, but you can also do everything yourself. It is important that when the audience gathers, they start the machine that we construct during the rehearsals, and there is no one correct instruction. I would say that the vocation is the same – to construct a “theatre machine”. I’m interested in the different stages of that construction.
Telman Ragimov/Pafotkinau photo/Director KMKulinič. Rehearsal “Good weather if you don’t think too much”
– What kind of audience, specific viewer, is it important for you to reach? As an artist creating contemporary theater, how important is the audience to you?
– The audience is an essential element that completes the work. I hope to reach an open, sensitive viewer who has the courage to face uncomfortable questions and feelings.
– The question raised in the play is whether it is possible to learn from history? How would you answer this question right now?
– I don’t know. I hope so.
– What were the most important sources of inspiration when writing the play and staging the performance?
– Books, excursions, open lectures and memoirs of survivors helped to better understand and become aware of this stage of history. Of course, this is a broad topic – I have not become an expert on this historical period, far from it.
Some of the books I’ve read practically form the basis of the stories and dilemmas the play creates. I even quote or paraphrase some fragments. First of all, it is Aneta Anra’s “Jehudit. The world could be so beautiful”, as well as “Secret Police History of the Kaunas Jewish Ghetto”, written by the police officers of the Kaunas Jewish Ghetto themselves, and “Our People” by Rūta Vanagaitė. In terms of theatrical influences and inspiration, it would be Krzysztof Warlikowski’s (A)pollonia.
– The play features two young people, a woman and a man, trapped in an uncertain time and space. What are these characters? Why is it important for you to examine the connection of these characters with the past and their search in the 21st century?
– The characters are ordinary hipsters trying to create their own lives. One of the questions I am concerned with is: in order to prevent the recurrence of such horrors as the Holocaust, what is more important: the knowledge of historical facts or the knowledge of oneself as a very complex and contradictory being? After all, for some time after the Holocaust, especially in Western societies, questions were raised: how could things of this magnitude have happened?
How could such a large proportion of ordinary, average, mentally healthy people commit such heinous crimes? Such and similar questions arise for the characters of the play, who in the course of the play get to know the stories of their ancestors, which did not exist in their memory before they found themselves in the post-catastrophe space.
– What methods and forms of contemporary theater are most effective in dealing with themes such as war, trauma, guilt?
– There are probably many ways, methods and forms that are suitable for spreading such topics. I hope that what we are creating with the team will also be effective.
– You mentioned that sometimes you choose to “enjoy the beautiful weather and fantasize about the future.” Does creativity help you find a balance between the anxieties of the present and the dreams of the future?
– In other words, I would rather choose to run away than to take real steps – to look anxiety in the eye and try to answer the questions: what can I really do, what is in my will, how can I really contribute to the creation of that future? Unfortunately, I noticed such an unpleasant truth – I am talking about myself here. The further I go, the more convinced I am that worrying about the present and fantasizing about a bright tomorrow are two sides of the same coin. I don’t want to find a balance between these two things, it’s pointless. For me, creativity today becomes one of the attempts to grasp and reflect on it.
– How did your previous works, the set of dramaturgical texts, affect the creative process of the play “Good weather, if you don’t think too much”?
– When delving into this topic, reading memoirs or historical sources, it was not easy, I often had doubts about whether I could pour at least a little bit of that pain into a theater piece, from what angle it would make sense to do so… The creative process was different from the previous ones. I faced dilemmas, doubts, fears. Of course, I always experience this more or less, but this time I feel a very heavy weight of responsibility.
– Performance art had a great influence on your creative development. How will this experience be reflected in the play “Good weather if you don’t think too much”?
– Probably very indirectly. Yes, I’m sure that this experience has had a huge impact on me, and it’s reflected in the tasks I give actors and my own way of thinking, drawing. However, I doubt whether the influence of performance art will be obvious in the performance – I am not looking for performativity on the stage of the theater today. Of course, it can sneak out unconsciously, but the most important thing for me right now is that the form helps the topic to spread.
– What is the difference between the creative process in experimental, independent theater troupe projects and institutional, state theater performances? Do you feel any significant differences?
– The process is the same as always. Working in an institution is easier for logistical reasons – everyone does their job and that’s it. In independent theaters, you often become a stagehand, a producer, and the hell knows what else. I would say that the institution is more comfortable from this point of view.
– A dreamy, thought-provoking style of speaking is often felt in your work. What led to the formation of this style? How important is dreaminess to the creation of the atmosphere of the performance?
– I am very interested in capturing everyday language and the flow of thought. I often catch, sometimes even record, and then transcribe a random conversation or just quickly jot down what I hear on the street. When written on paper, the speech looks very strange, as if it does not stick to the paper. Live language is different from written language.
Even now, when I answer questions in writing, my thoughts are somewhat controlled, edited, and when I speak live, various contradictions, illogicalities, language garbage come up – one not yet fully articulated thought is replaced by another. It is interesting to study what the very manner of speech, the words we use, the pauses say about one or another thing, and then you try to put together a whole from such fragments. Often in the talk “about nothing” or in a not fully articulated thought lies something that I would not consciously think about.
Similarly with the flow of thoughts. At first glance, it’s some kind of mess, dreamy nonsense, but behind them are things that you don’t want to talk about or think about. Therefore, in the texts I like to leave part of that disorder, cracks in thought, uncontrolled vocabulary in the speech of the characters.
– Is today’s audience more sensitive to historical traumas, collective memory, or on the contrary – are we too busy with our everyday concerns?
– In 2016, the “Memorial March” was held in Molėtai, dedicated to the memory of the Jews killed in Molėtai. It was attended by many people. It so happened that I went there myself with a few colleagues and I can confirm that the atmosphere was really exciting. Now, remembering this march, I think that this is one of the cases that shows that there are many people who are indifferent to the tragedy of the Jewish people, who understand that it is also our tragedy.
– What is your personal vision for the future? Are you an optimist or do you think that catastrophes are inevitable, as you hint at in the play?
– In order to prevent them from happening, enormous, conscious, individual and collective efforts must be made. You don’t want to give in to either optimism or pessimism. You don’t want to give in to emotions, but find ways not to slip into indifference.
window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
FB.init({
appId: ‘117218911630016’,
version: ‘v2.10’,
status: true,
cookie: false,
xfbml: true
});
};
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {
return;
}
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id;
js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/lt_LT/sdk.js”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
#Director #Kristina #Marija #Kulinič #AntiSemitism #flying #corners #Terrible #ugly #Culture
R own immediate concerns and disconnected from the past? What is your observation on this?
– It seems that contemporary audiences are increasingly aware of historical traumas and the importance of collective memory. Social movements, discussions surrounding identity, and global events have prompted people to reflect on the past and its implications for the present and future. However, there is also a tendency to become absorbed in personal issues and immediate realities. Balancing these two aspects is a challenge. While many are striving to connect with history and learn from it, others may feel overwhelmed by current events and thus, may disengage from deeper historical reflections.
– As a playwright and director, how do you see the role of contemporary theater in addressing these complexities of memory and trauma?
– Contemporary theater holds a significant role in probing these complexities. It has the capacity to provoke thought, foster empathy, and question societal narratives. By presenting stories that resonate with the historical context—be it through direct narratives, metaphors, or experimental formats—oz, such productions can encourage audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and engage with their past. Theater becomes a space for reflection, remembrance, and healing, allowing for the exploration of trauma not just as a historical event but as an ongoing process that impacts the present and future.
– How do you envision the future of theater in relation to these themes? Will there be a shift in how these stories are told and perceived?
– I believe there will indeed be a shift in how stories related to trauma and memory are told in theater. As society evolves, so too does the language and form of artistic expression. We may see an integration of more diverse voices, storytelling techniques, and innovative formats that reflect the complexities of our shared experiences. The future of theater will likely continue to challenge traditional narratives, pushing the boundaries of what theater can express. It’s crucial that theater remains relevant, adaptable, and open to exploring the layers of human experience in all its forms.
