How Much “Pride” Is on Lithuania’s Stages? SIRENOS Presents Its Lithuanian Theatre Program

2025 June 26

Focus on the LGBTQ+ community won’t be limited to June’s Baltic Pride events—this year, it will also extend into September, as the international theatre festival Sirenos dedicates its Lithuanian program to queer themes and issues. Festival Artistic Director Kristė Agota Savė entrusted director Naubertas Jasinskas with curating performances that best reflect these themes on stage. He says he’s fascinated by the opportunity to examine how equality is represented in Lithuania’s professional theatre and dance scenes—and to explore what the term queer truly means. The selected performances will be presented at Sirenos from September 25 to 28 to both local audiences and international theatre professionals.

“The term queer can be interpreted from several perspectives—as an identity term that questions gender binaries, and also as a mindset that seeks to free us from patriarchal views and traditional approaches to creating theatre.
This program itself becomes a kind of liberation from the conventional understanding of a festival lineup—half of it features contemporary dance works and stage projects created in collaboration with non-professional artists. This expands not only the forms of theatrical expression but also the very idea of what a festival program can be,” says curator Naubertas Jasinskas.

The program includes ten works across drama, dance, and performance, created in Vilnius, Klaipėda, Kaunas, and Panevėžys. According to Jasinskas, the selected pieces fall into three categories: dramatic theatre and performative events, contemporary dance, and community-centered performances.

Drama & Performativity

Included in the first category is “Anatomy of a Suicide” by Uršulė Bartoševičiūtė, staged at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. Based on the play by British playwright Alice Birch, it explores generational trauma and mental health issues.
Also featured is “The Saint”, directed by Oskaras Koršunovas (OKT / Vilnius City Theatre), a powerful portrayal of a woman’s experience in a violent, patriarchal society.
Another selection is “Mahamaya Electronic Devices”, a theatrical experience by Iwan Wyrypajev and Mykola Mishyn at the Panevėžys Juozo Miltinis Drama Theatre, which dives into life’s deepest themes—God, love, and the boundaries of personal freedom—posing essential questions about humanity.

Also part of this category is Naubertas Jasinskas’ own gothic tale “The Return”, staged at the Klaipėda Drama Theatre, which breaks social taboos through the story of a young couple separating, inspired by a novella by Roberto Bolaño.
Director Laura Kutkaitė’s “Tremolo” (MMLAB) is a performative lecture delving into themes of bodily awareness, sexual health, and self-worth—framed through the lens of sexual pleasure.

Contemporary Dance

The program features three dance works. Greta Grinevičiūtė presents “A Dance for a Cigarette and My Best Friend” (MMLAB), a piece about friendship.
Choreographers Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Ihar Shugaleeu bring “Clap and Slap”, which examines the paralyzing tensions in Eastern Europe—particularly between Lithuania and Belarus—following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (produced by “Be kompanijos”).
Lisičkinaitė also presents “Rave of Riot”, a piece continuing her exploration of protest through movement. Created in collaboration with fourth-year students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), it seeks to create a continuous, collective journey of movement toward liberation.

 Community-Based Works

This group includes “The Rainbow Musical” by Greta Štiormer, presented at the Kaunas Artists’ House. Built on autobiographical documentary theatre and co-creation principles, the work centers on the queer community—its experiences and culture.
Another is “We Didn’t Agree to This”, an immersive audiovisual performance conceived by Dominykas Vaitiekūnas. The piece unites the Deaf community and hearing professional performers, blending music, video art, sign-language-based creativity, and unique sound experiences (produced by “Liūdni Slibinai”).

Each year, Sirenos attracts around fifty international professionals from various festivals, theatres, and cultural organizations who come to explore the latest in Lithuanian theatre. The festival fosters new creative partnerships, expands the Lithuanian arts scene, and helps launch international collaborations.

As always, a special jury will evaluate the ten selected works. The 2025 jury includes:

The jury will select three award-winning performances, and audiences will have the chance to vote for their favorite. The awards ceremony will be hosted by last year’s winners—the “Café Existans” team led by director Paulius Markevičius.

The Sirenos International Theatre Festival, organized by the Theatre Information Centre, will be held for the 22nd time from September 25 to October 10. In addition to the Lithuanian and international programs, the festival will feature networking and educational events such as:

The festival is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and supported by the Vilnius City Municipality.

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