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AMBITION – KLAIPĖDA ON THE MAP OF EUROPEAN THEATRES

“TheATRIUM” began in 2017 and is now a significant event in theatre life not only in Klaipėda, but in Lithuania and the whole Europe.

“TheARTIUM” will start on May 24–28 with one of the most successful projects of Klaipėda Drama Theatre – Lithuanian Theatre Showcase. In 5 days we will present 11 latest performances by Lithuanian creators to foreign guests (theatre art professionals, festival representatives, producers, etc.). This is an important opportunity for them to establish international relations, to be evaluated and noticed by foreign scouts. We are currently waiting for about 40 theatre professionals from all over the world to visit the showcase.

During “TheATRIUM” creative workshops, which have already become a tradition, will take place. This is intensive acting training for professional actors, during which they have the opportunity to work with well-known guests from foreign theatres. This year, the workshop will be conducted by the representatives of “Shinehouse Theatre” (Taiwan).

An international festival programme will take place from June 1 to 22nd. This year, we welcome theatres and performers from Latvia, Taiwan, Great Britain, Belgium and Portugal. After the performances, we will invite the audience to a general conversation with the directors and creative teams of the performances. Meetings of the audience and creators is a festival event that has already proven itself and is becoming a tradition, an informal medium for the exchange of ideas and impressions.

Tomas Juočys

This is my seventh opening speech in “TheATRIUM” Festival. And I am still as excited as I was seven years ago! You know, not many people believed in us then. Even inside the theatre there were doubts. Will we succeed? Who needs that? Will we overcome all the challenges that arise with almost no budget and no support? Seven years later, the answers are very obvious: we have overcome all the difficulties and will overcome them in the future, the festival has succeeded and must succeed – theatre lovers need it. Looking deeper, we can see that “TheATRIUM” helped Klaipėda Drama Theatre become what it is today: provocative, modern-day, constantly moving forward. We have not stopped creating during any crisis or pandemic. And today, when the world is surrounded by darkness, we see only one way out – not to stop, to go forward, to reach for the light. It is our response to the darkness, our struggle against its forces. Changing the world is very difficult, but that does not mean you can give up. We create and believe in the victory of good. We are not disappointed in the era that has happened to us, we accept reality as it is and we believe in freedom. We create and enjoy creation. We invite everyone to “TheATRIUM”, the space for meetings and communication, we invite you to the theatre. To the place, where even in the darkest times which we have faced, we look for the light together and together we create the world where goodness triumphs.

DESPITE US

Many things in life happen despite us: catastrophes, natural disasters, epidemics, wars. We all wish they would not happen, but they do, and each time we are surprised all over again. Is it really happening without our input? Maybe one of us did something wrong, and most of us simply did nothing when action was urgently needed? And suddenly, the dominoes began to fall, the world began to crumble. Despite us? Oh yes, when the great collapse begins, it no longer disregards anything; it no longer discerns between the guilty and the innocent. But if we take a closer look at the symbol of this year's festival, the fallen-to-pieces Apollo, we can discern another aspect: those pieces, those fragments of a crumbling civilisation, can be readily reassembled. All it requires is diligence and patience. The Japanese have a distinct approach to repairing broken objects called kintsugi, which involves joining the pieces together with gold. Such items become even more valuable than they were in their original state. Lastly, there is at least one thing in the world that happens without our intervention. The name of that thing is a miracle. Not often, but miracles still occur in people's lives. Despite us.

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