<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Lithuanian theatre has always been known for its visual metaphors and dramaturgy of directorial images, where the language of literary text is translated into visual metaphors created on stage by a director. Due to this quality, some critics have argued that Lithuanian theatre has been demonstrating postdramatic characteristics for a long time. However, one should note that visual metaphors of modern Lithuanian theatre have been based on and controlled by literary text and never quite established a more autonomous and self-contained visuality. Dramatic text remained the point of departure whether the director chose to illustrate or concretise it, to transform or deform it. However, in post-Soviet Lithuanian theatre, these relations have been gradually turning discontinuous, their intensity often varied within the framework of the same performance. Fragmentary cracks, when images, departed from the roles of commentators or illustrators of textual meanings, turned into flashes of independent visions that were seen by the critics as an obvious shift towards a radical image-centric position or, to use the term of Hans-Thies Lehmann, <italic>postdramatic</italic> theatre. However, the recent performance <italic>Lokis</italic> (2017, Lithuanian National Drama Theatre) by Polish theatre artist Lukasz Twarkowski, produced twenty years after the initial introduction of the term <italic>postdramatic</italic> into the Lithuanian context, has paradoxically started a storm of divisive opinions in the Lithuanian theatre milieu. It became the focal point of discussions about the intrinsic character of Lithuanian theatre, especially its embedded attitudes towards drama text and acting—notoriously challenging factors for many international collaborations. The article analyses the ongoing debates about the term <italic>postdramatic</italic> theatre and its interpretations in Lithuanian theatre criticism, taking the example of <italic>Lokis</italic> as a case study.</p></abstract>

Lithuanian theatre has always been known for its visual metaphors and dramaturgy of directorial images, where the language of literary text is translated into visual metaphors created on stage by a director. Due to this quality, some critics have argued that Lithuanian theatre has been demonstrating postdramatic characteristics for a long time. However, one should note that visual metaphors of modern Lithuanian theatre have been based on and controlled by literary text and never quite established a more autonomous and self-contained visuality. Dramatic text remained the point of departure whether the director chose to illustrate or concretise it, to transform or deform it. However, in post-Soviet Lithuanian theatre, these relations have been gradually turning discontinuous, their intensity often varied within the framework of the same performance. Fragmentary cracks, when images, departed from the roles of commentators or illustrators of textual meanings, turned into flashes of independent visions that were seen by the critics as an obvious shift towards a radical image-centric position or, to use the term of Hans-Thies Lehmann, postdramatic theatre. However, the recent performance Lokis (2017, Lithuanian National Drama Theatre) by Polish theatre artist Lukasz Twarkowski, produced twenty years after the initial introduction of the term postdramatic into the Lithuanian context, has paradoxically started a storm of divisive opinions in the Lithuanian theatre milieu. It became the focal point of discussions about the intrinsic character of Lithuanian theatre, especially its embedded attitudes towards drama text and acting—notoriously challenging factors for many international collaborations. The article analyses the ongoing debates about the term postdramatic theatre and its interpretations in Lithuanian theatre criticism, taking the example of Lokis as a case study.

Between (in)Visible Influences and (Im)Pure Traditions: Hybrid Character of the Postdramatic in Lithuanian Theatre

Art History & Criticism

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Lithuanian theatre has always been known for its visual metaphors and dramaturgy of directorial images, where the language of literary text is translated into...

Between (in)Visible Influences and (Im)Pure Traditions: Hybrid Character of the Postdramatic in Lithuanian Theatre

Publié en ligne: 05 déc. 2019

Pages: 97 - 102

Reçu: 31 mai 2019

Accepté: 10 sept. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mik-2019-0007

Mots clés
Lithuanian theatre, postdramatic theatre, international collaboration, acting, visual metaphors

© 2019 Jurgita Staniškytė, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Between (in)Visible Influences and (Im)Pure Traditions: Hybrid Character of the Postdramatic in Lithuanian Theatre

Publié en ligne: 05 déc. 2019

Pages: 97 - 102

Reçu: 31 mai 2019

Accepté: 10 sept. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mik-2019-0007

Mots clésLithuanian theatre, postdramatic theatre, international collaboration, acting, visual metaphors

© 2019 Jurgita Staniškytė, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
Lithuanian theatre, postdramatic theatre, international collaboration, acting, visual metaphors