Vilnius Old Theater invites you to celebrate its 111th birthday Culture

The theater designed by architects Vaclovas Michnevičius and Aleksander Parčevskis and built at the expense of the local Polish community was opened in 1913 in the current J.Basanavičius (formerly – Great Pohulianka) street. October 25 (according to the old calendar – October 12).

Over the course of more than a century, almost all national groups of Vilnius have shown their work here, theater troupes of various genres have played and are playing in different periods.

Anniversary events – conference and exhibition

To celebrate the anniversary, the Old Theater together with the Lithuanian Cultural Research Institute is holding an international conference “Theatre and the City” on October 25. 111 for the building of the old theater”, which will be held in the Small Hall of the Old Theater of Vilnius. Art critic prof. Dr. The exhibition “One theater – many stories” is created by Helmuts Šabasevičius and scenographer, architect Sigita Šimkūnaitė. 111 Years of the Old Theater of Vilnius” will open its doors to visitors in the evening of the same day, at 5 p.m.

Photo of the organizers/The first poster of the Vilnius Old Theater, 1913.

According to the manager of the Old Theater, Audronis Imbras, the scientific conference and the accompanying exhibition are a great opportunity to reveal more about the history of this building, the signs encoded in it, on the other hand, it is an opportunity to start a wider discussion with the public about the processes of the currently operating theater and the contexts of its activities.

The oldest theater in Vilnius is multinational

The Pohulianka Theater (Polish: Teatr na Pohulance) is the only theater in Vilnius that was built as a theater. The theater opened its doors on October 12, 1913. (according to the old calendar) in the then Great Pohulianka Street, belonged to the company “Korwin-Milewski, Bohdanowicz, Zawadzki i Spółka w Wilnie”. 20th century in the thirties, the building was handed over to the Vilnius City Council.

Until 1939 Polish theater groups led by Wojciech Baranowski, Edward Cepnik, the Great Theater (Teatr Wielki), the Reduta Theater (Teatr Reduta), and the Polish Theater (Teatr Polski) worked there. During the war, the actors of the Vilnius Opera Theater played in this theater. After the war, the Lithuanian National Drama Theater, the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theater, and the State Youth Theater operated in the Pohulianka Theater building, since 1986. – Lithuanian Russian Drama Theater, from 2022 – Vilnius old theater.

Photo of the organizers/Poster of the exhibition “One theater – many stories”.

The theater building, which is more than a hundred years old, commemorates not only significant events in the history of the theater, but also in the history of the state of Lithuania – the Vilnius Conference was held here on September 18-22, 1917, which envisaged the creation of an independent state of Lithuania, the convocation of the Constituent Seimas, and the establishment of the Council of Lithuania. In 1919, the Art Theater created by the director Juozas Vaičkaus was supposed to operate in this building.

The jubilee theater has been and is open to various theater and music events since the regaining of Lithuania’s independence – the Lithuanian Folklore Theater led by Dalia and Povila Mataičiai held performances here, the events of the first international theater festival LIFE were held, and amateur troupes performed many times – the Vilnius Polish Theater (director – Irena Litwinowicz), Vilnius Polish Theater “Studija” (director – Lilija Kiejzik).

Theater and city signs at the conference

The emergence of the theater is a private initiative of the Polish community in Vilnius, and its purpose is to promote the professional dissemination of Polish culture in the city that is still part of the Russian Empire. In the building erected 111 years ago, in the context of historical transformations, the works of Polish, Lithuanian, and Russian artists met, passed, and exchanged. The work of prominent artists – Juliusz Osterwa, Aleksander Zelwerowicz, Liuds Truikis, Elena Čiudakova, Roman Viktiukas, Jonas Vaitkaus and many others – spread on the stage of the theater. The old theater and its owners have always occupied a special place in the cultural life of Vilnius and Lithuania, the status of which was determined by the circumstances of a specific period of history.

The goal of the international scientific conference marking the anniversary of the Old Theater is to grasp the features of the extremely dynamically changing identity of this theater. Prof. Dr. Martynas Petrikas, together with the Department of Music and Theater History of the Lithuanian Cultural Research Institute, aimed to bring theater researchers and practitioners together for a discussion about theater as a component element of the city’s cultural fabric. The form and status of theater as art, organization, building and public space changes in contexts of historical change. The participants of the conference will talk about these and other phenomena in the perspective of the development of the old theater in Vilnius and the wider Baltic countries. Speakers from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia will give presentations. Conference languages ​​- Lithuanian, Polish, English.

Speakers of the conference: dr. Agnieszka Wójtowicz, doc. Dr. Šarūnė Trinkūnaitė, Jūratė Katinaitė, prof. Dr. Rasa Vasinauskaitė, doc. Dr. Vytautė Markeliūnienė, prof. Dr. Helmut Šabasevičius, dr. Edīte Tišheizere, director of Tallinn Vene Teater Anne-Lii Päiv and artistic director Dmitrij Petrenko, moderator of the discussion – prof. Dr. Martynas Petrikas.

International scientific conference “Theatre and the city. For the building of the Old Theater – 111” – October 25. from 10 a.m.

One theater – many stories

The exhibition exhibits dozens of drawings, posters, interior detail drawings, photographs, scenography and costume sketches that reflect the rich history of Vilnius Old Theater in only the most general features.

Exhibition curator, prof. Dr. Helmutas Šabasevičius notes that the oldest theater in Vilnius is significant for the cultural history of many peoples living in the capital of Lithuania; the Polish, Lithuanian, and Russian languages ​​that sounded and still sound there allowed and allow the theater audience to meet famous works of the classical repertoire, and the stage becomes a place for young theater creators to meet the theater audience for the first time.

The exhibition “One theater – many stories”. 111 years of the Vilnius old theater” invites you to meet the patrons, architects, directors, actors, opera and ballet soloists, set designers, stage technicians, administrators and other creators or assistants who created and created the theater.

One of the most important exhibits of the exhibition is the building itself: its lobby with hanging lamps designed according to examples of the interior elements of the Šumsk manor, corridors, wardrobes, stairs, loggias and balconies with moderate decor elements, an audience hall with a glowing lamp above it, surrounded by theater masks.

For the exhibition architect Sigita Šimkūnaita, the biggest challenge when creating the exhibition was the theater space itself, which is not intended for exhibition exposition, and the building itself is a heritage object where everyday life takes place. The most important task of the artist was to visually present the theater as a building and as a home of various genres – drama, dance, opera; with the help of exhibits, to show the constant change of the theater in a historical context, which would not disturb and interest the regular visitor of the theater.

Visitors to the exhibition will be greeted by a collage of historical posters in the lobby; the walls of the great hall will invite you to travel through the theater’s timeline until 2024; the second floor space will open archival material from the life of the theater; in the third, an installation created by the composer Rita Mačiliūnaitė will be welcomed, in which the voices of the theater will speak.

Laconic Neo-Renaissance facade of the theater with images of the muses of the theater that found their place in it much later, an oak tree of Jonas Basanavičius growing next to the theater, planted in 2017. September 19 commemorating the centenary of the Lithuanian Conference, and the rosary welcoming the audience is also part of the exhibition, 21st century. signs in the 110-year history of the theater.

The exhibition “One theater – many stories”. 111 Years of the Old Theater of Vilnius” opening – October 25. at 5 p.m. The exhibition will run until 2025. June 30 Visitation – until 5:30 p.m. before performances and on pre-announced days.