The performance “Stand-up for meaning and meaninglessness” features two public, well-known characters in the society: Mother – a famous presenter (actress Vitalija Mockevičiūtė) and Son – the companion of success stand-up performer (actor Karolis Kasperavičius). Both of them are not looking for a word in their pocket, but when faced with the suicide of the Father, it becomes difficult for them to talk.
Even before the premiere, Ieva Raudeliūnaitė interviewed the director of the play Eglė Švedkauskaitė, we share the interview.
Photo by Roko Morkūnas/”Stand-up for meaning and meaninglessness”
– How did you and Biruta, the two creators, cross paths and decide to create a performance?
– I met Biruta Kapustinskaite in 2019. At the Klaipėda theater festival “Jauno teatro dienos”, where we worked together on the creation of a sketch. Even then, I realized that we both have a similar sense of humor, which is important to me.
I turned to Birute asking if she should offer something from the plays she started writing or recently created. She offered to start writing “STAND UP for Meaning and Meaninglessness”. When reading the draft version of the play, the text appeared very lively, so I decided to choose this material for the play.
– Tell us how the casting went. Vitalija Mockevičiūtė and Karolis Kasperavičius create the roles in the play. What made you choose these actors? Why did you organize an open audition for the male role?
– I worked with Vitalija Mockevičiūta in the play “Fossilia”. She has become a stage mother figure for me. When I found out after reading the play that there is also a mother character in it, I immediately thought of Vitaly. She is a very hard-working actress, surprising with her proposals, openness to young people and the world.
Photo by Roko Morkūnas/”Stand-up for meaning and meaninglessness”
We did an open audition for the role of the son because stand-up comedies. This genre is specific. I didn’t want to go by preconceived notions about actors who could play comic roles. This does not necessarily mean that the person will be strong stand-up genre. I decided not to invite professional comedians because the play has dramatic parts that require acting experience. I chose the actor Karolis Kasperavičius, because his ability to communicate with the audience was best revealed when performing stand-up number, acting depth. I have also seen his previous roles.
– Does the play dictate the very genre of the performance?
– The play indicates everything. Birutė is the author of this play, and my task is to create an interpretation of her work and transfer it to the stage. Perhaps recently, I have been accustomed to staging plays whose dramaturgy is inspired by a certain author’s work. For example, in 2023 My performance “Fossilia” created by LNDT was inspired by Dalia Grinkevičiūtė’s book “Lietuviai prie Laptevų jūros”, a lot of different material was collected and the dramaturgy was written from it.
– Could it be said that with this performance you continue the theme of generations and their relationships analyzed in your previous performances? Why is it important to maintain continuity and talk about family relationships and issues?
– At the moment, I feel that I am at a stage where I am trying to understand what direction I am going as a creator, what topics I want to continue to choose. However, it is not so easy to see yourself from the side, and creative searches are a long process. Perhaps family is one of my main themes, but not the only one. What interested me in the play is that it touches on the difficult and often avoidable topic of suicide, and what those people who have to go through it all face.
Photo by Roko Morkūnas/”Stand-up for meaning and meaninglessness”
– This is not the first time you choose to work with set designer Ona Juciūta, costume designer Dovile Gudačiauskaita and assistant director Kotryna Siaurusaityta. Composer Ernestas Kaušylas and light artist Monika Šerstabojevaitė also joined the team. How important is the contribution of these creators to the performance for you as a director?
– I probably subconsciously like to look for specific challenges in each new job – in this case, I take some risks when working with new team members. This helps me maintain a healthy approach to my methods – new members bring a fresh perspective, can comment on the ideas I propose without the context of our shared creation. Maybe I’m avoiding the complacency that can come when you keep working with the same developers and doing well? Then it is easy to forget and calm down.
Ona and I have become good friends during our work, and the fact that she comes from the field of visual arts, is both an artist and a curator, constantly opens up new perspectives for me. With Ona, as with Dovile and Kotryna, I am safe. I feel their trust in me despite the difficult creative stages that occur. Dovilė seems to me to be one of the best costume designers in Lithuania. I believe that having at least a few stable team members is an important safety net.
– B. Kapustinskaitė’s play deals with the sensitive topic of suicide and especially about what people have to go through after losing a loved one. Why is it important for you as a person and as a director to have a dialogue with the audience about this?
– Both as a person and as a creator, I want art to have a deeper meaning and content. Content is born from complex and important topics. We can try to remove death and sadness from our lives, but these things exist very close to us. Even during rehearsals, when discussing the topic of suicide with the creative team of six people, I heard that several of them have encountered suicides in a fairly close environment. It’s all shocking.
Photo by Roko Morkūnas/”Stand-up for meaning and meaninglessness”
As a director, it is important and interesting for me to find ways to talk about this, to help people find the answers they care about, comfort or hope in a work of art. Also, theater has always had the opportunity to examine human existence, so I want to use it.
– Do you think that younger generations tend to talk more openly about sensitive mental health topics?
– I think that my generation really openly talks about mental health and it is, one might say, the main topic in many of our works. Traumatic experiences, wounds and losses left by them are reflected both in cinema and theater. I’m very happy with it, I think it’s healing, but I always wonder if the creators managed to avoid banality and superficiality.
I don’t have the opportunity to closely observe the younger generation and better understand their worldview, but I hear that the so-called generation Z has a tendency to self-diagnose psychological disorders, depression, or that it is a therapeutic generation that wants to clean up its life, get rid of painful experiences, but it seems to me that all people, regardless of age, experience great losses and deep feelings in the same way, only different life circumstances and environments determine how these people behave in such moments of life.
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Interview with Eglė Švedkauskaitė, Director of “Stand-up for Meaning and Meaninglessness”
Ieva Raudeliūnaitė: Thank you for joining us today. Let’s dive straight into your work. How did your collaboration with Biruta Kapustinskaite begin, leading to the creation of this performance?
Eglė Švedkauskaitė: Thank you for having me! I met Biruta in 2019 at the Klaipėda Theater Festival. We collaborated on a sketch there and quickly realized our shared sense of humor. That connection was vital. When I approached her about potential projects, she suggested “Stand-up for Meaning and Meaninglessness,” and after reading the draft, I felt immediately drawn to its lively narrative.
Ieva: Vitalija Mockevičiūtė and Karolis Kasperavičius star in your play. What led you to choose them, and why did you opt for open auditions for the son’s role?
Eglė: Working with Vitalija in ”Fossilia” gave me insight into her depth as an actress. She embodies the mother figure perfectly. As for the son, in stand-up, the actor needs to connect with the audience fundamentally. Hence, I held open auditions — I was looking for fresh talent who weren’t pigeonholed into traditional comedic roles. Karolis stood out for his strong audience engagement and emotional depth.
Ieva: You’ve mentioned that the play deals with themes around suicide and loss. Why is it crucial for you to address such sensitive subjects?
Eglė: Art should engage with complex, real-world issues. We can’t ignore topics like death and grief; they are a part of life. During rehearsals, I discovered that many in the creative team had personal experiences with suicide, which reinforced the necessity of exploring this painful reality. My goal is to foster dialogue and provide comfort through the narrative.
Ieva: Given the sensitive nature of the material, how do you find balance in handling these themes while still entertaining the audience?
Eglė: That balance is challenging but essential. Humor can be a powerful tool in discussing difficult topics. It invites audiences to reflect while still feeling emotionally safe. The play intricately juxtaposes light-hearted moments with profound sadness to create that balance, allowing space for both laughter and contemplation.
Ieva: Lastly, what do you hope audiences take away from “Stand-up for Meaning and Meaninglessness”?
Eglė: I hope they leave with a deeper understanding of familial relationships and the complexities of grief. More broadly, I aim for viewers to find comfort and perhaps a sense of healing in the performance. Art should initiate conversations, and maybe help people feel less alone in their struggles.
Ieva: Thank you, Eglė, for sharing your insights. We look forward to the premiere of your thought-provoking performance.
Are integral parts of the human experience. Through this performance, I aim to explore the emotional landscapes that arise after losing a loved one to suicide, portraying the struggles of those left behind. It’s essential for me, as both a person and a director, to foster a dialogue about these challenging subjects.
Art can provide comfort, hope, and a space for reflection. By sharing these narratives, I hope to help audiences process their own experiences and find solace in the shared understanding of grief and loss. Moreover, discussing such topics openly can help de-stigmatize them, making it easier for people to seek help and support.
Ieva: It’s refreshing to hear such a commitment to meaningful dialogue. Do you think that younger generations are becoming more open to discussing mental health issues?
Eglė: Yes, absolutely. My generation is certainly more vocal about mental health, and we often weave traumatic experiences and their effects into our creative works. It’s heartening to see this shift. However, I worry about the possibility of superficial engagement with these profound topics.
The younger generation, often labeled as “Generation Z,” shows a tendency to self-diagnose and seek to purge painful experiences. While this therapeutic drive is commendable, it’s vital to ensure that conversations around mental health do not fall into cliché or banality. Ultimately, while the experiences of loss and grief are universally felt, the ways individuals navigate those feelings can vary based on multiple factors, including age and societal context.
Ieva: Thank you for your insights, Eglė. The themes you are exploring in “Stand-up for Meaning and Meaninglessness” are both vital and timely, and it will be interesting to see how audiences engage with them.
Eglė: Thank you! I’m eager to see how this performance resonates with the audience, and I truly believe in the power of theatre to foster understanding and healing around these topics.
