The sixth Druskininkai Theatre Festival is friendly to everyone
The end of July brings back to the resort of Druskininkai the long-awaited summer celebration for the residents and town-guests: the Theatre festival programme includes a range of the season‘s hottest performances, films and music projects, featuring the names of their authors, the most famous Lithuanian artists. The festival is organized by a public institution „Kultūros cechas“ and Druskininkai city municipality.
The managing team of the festival has got used to various problems arising every year and has learned to take them as challenges requiring a creative approach. Whereas the budget of the festival has been influenced by the crisis, the collaboration with long-standing partners (local hotels, restaurants, media, other businesses) has not. It is because of the partners’ enthusiasm that the festival has acquired new forms of activity and expression.
Several important activity fields, cultivated by Druskininkai Theatre Festival team, can be highlighted. These include a solid determination to present new names and new artistic trends to the audiences, to bring the most appraised productions, and to give stage to debuts and experiments.
Main festival program is saving many unforgettable theatre encounters for the audiences this year. We will see a performance The Happy based on Friedrich von Schiller‘s “Intrigue and Love” and directed by Artūras Areima; the performance which has been nominated for three „Golden Stage Crosses“ this year. The world perception of youngsters will be analysed in performance Farewell, Idiots by Aidas Giniotis (theatre „Atviras ratas“) and snappy humour will flow in Jonas Vaitkus‘ Random Man (VšĮ “Mens publica”), a winner of Panevėžys chamber performance festival. Agnius Jankevičius‘ performance Damn Love will take into the realm of tenderness and curses (Lithuania Russian Drama Theatre), while Hush, Let Mothers Speak promises a shocking show about motherhood („Idioteatras“). These and many more of the brightest productions staged in Lithuania this year are yet to come. For the first time in the festival‘s history, the theatre of the disabled „Naujasis teatras“, will present its production „The Glass Menagerie“ (Director Artūras Šablauskas). The managing team of the festival regrets that due to the disrupted construction works of the Druskininkai multifunctional culture centre, the title of Druskininkai Theatre Festival has become more of a symbol. Many performances cannot be shown because their technical requirements cannot be fulfilled at any venue of the town; thus the festival accommodates more chamber performances and fewer productions by famous directors each year.
This year puts a special highlight on musical projects. According to Andrius Mamontovas, music is the vibration through which the soul moves the substance. Club “Kolonada” and newly reborn “Alka” restaurant will host jazz, alternative and best performers concerts: Alina Orlova, Egidijus Sipavičius, Marius and Irūna, band “Flamingo”, Daniel Marques Trio from Brazil, and international jazz quintet “Barnabo plebėjai”. Open air concerts will take place at amphitheatre “Galia”, presenting most-awaited synthesizers of electronic and jazz music, Leon Somov and Jazzu, as well as Andrius Mamontovas, Marijonas Mikutavičius, and the legendary rock band “Antis”, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It has become a tradition that one night of the festival is dedicated entirely to young ravings in an open-air electronic music fiesta “Salty Night”.
The festival sets on a mission, which is not only possible, but also necessary – to present films. Druskininkai is a resort full of guests all year round; however, it has no functioning cinema. Films will start the festival’s programme – a week before the official opening it will come back to “Lithuania” sanatorium. “Grand Spa Lietuva kinas” programme will continue encounters with internationally acclaimed European film artists and the novelties of the national cinema; it will also invite to meetings with artists. We are glad to draw your attention to the national cinema production, which takes up a substantial space in this year’s programme. We will present Our Father by Marius Ivaškevičius, Low Lights by Ignas Miškinis, Vortex by Gytis Lukšas, Zero 2 by Emilis Vėlyvis and a bunch of short films. The entrance cost to all films is symbolic.
Main box office of the festival, which offers tickets and all necessary information, is opening this week. Tickets can also be obtained one hour before shows at the venues and at all Tiketa sales points. Tickets can be booked on the phone 1653 (3 Lt/min.) and online www.tiketa.lt. The festival will close on September 4. More information is available on the festival’s webpage www.dttf.lt.
Ada Paukštytė