The Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare’s last tragedies, opens with an invitation to pause and listen. To focus attention before acting and think carefully about who is doing what and why. This invitation is intended primarily for the audience witnessing the tragedy of the reckless Roman warrior Coriolanus. And he, having proven his bravery and talents on the battlefield, before the eyes of the audience who decided to stop and listen, slowly reveals how the thirst for appreciation, mixed with the bitterness of disappointment, can end up tragically.

The new production of Coriolanus, a play that was rarely staged in Lithuanian theatres, invites you to pause and listen to the human tragedy.

Director Paulius Markevičius does not interpret Coriolanus as a political play. Even though politics in Coriolanus is important, it is, however, just a mere collection of  circumstances that, together with acute doubts in democracy as witnessed in our modern world as well as in Shakespeare’s play, and also the tensions provoked by political change and armed unrests, simply help analysing a human being in critical situation. Emphasizing the conflict between a crowd and an individual, as well as the manipulations of the powerful over the weaker ones, the director talks about personal challenges that arise when personal talents and surrounding expectations are tearing us in opposite directions.

PAULIUS MARKEVIČIUS

Graduated in 2014 with a master’s degree in theatre acting, a student of director Eimuntas Nekrošius. He plays in the productions of Eimuntas Nekrošius, Oskaras Koršunovas, Gintaras Varnas and other famous Lithuanian theatre directors. He is actively searching for his own theatrical language, his plays stand out for their musicality, atmosphere, and performativity. In 2017, he was nominated for the Lithuanian theatre award the Golden Stage Cross in the young artist category for the play Alberai, WRU, in 2018 he received a Young Creator Award of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. In 2019, he was awarded as the best actor for his role in the film Summer Survivors at the Vilnius International Film Festival Kino Pavasaris. In 2019, he was selected the winner of Dalia Tamulevičiūtė’s contest for national dramaturgy.

MMLAB

“Meno ir mokslo laboratorija” (MMLAB, Art and Science Laboratory) is a collective that unites young artists and scientists who carry out joint educational, art and research projects. Currently, their repertoire has four productions. It is a theatrical creative space where artists not only delve into scientific topics but also experiment, and search for new artistic forms and themes. Each MMLAB project involves an increasingly larger number of artists; the Lab is also one of the fastest growing young artist organisations that have gained recognition among critics and audiences.