Daiva Čepauskaitė is an actress, poetess, playwright: “I may not estimate myself. I do what is interesting to me, that’s all”.
D.Čepauskaitė was born in Marijampolė, Lithuania, on April 24, 1967. She studied medicine at Kaunas Medical Academy from 1985 to 1991 and was conferred the specialty of a physician. She learned stage art at Kaunas Youth Theatre-studio from 1988. From 1990 she has been working as an actress at Kaunas Chamber Theatre where she has created a number of roles that have become the recognition sign of this theatre. D.Čepauskaitė writes poetry, plays for children and grown-ups. Some of her poems have been translated to English, German, Swedish, Finish, Latvian, Russian, and Polish. She is a member of the Writers’ Union from 1998.
Awards
1996 Fortune statue for Lady O. role in the performance “Peepshow” directed by Stanislovas Rubinovas (G.Tabori).
1999 Fortune statue for the main role of Lavinia Menon in the performance “Mourning Becomes Electra” (Eugene O‘Neill) directed by Gintaras Varnas at Kaunas Academic Drama Theatre; presentation for Christopher award for the same role.
2001 Prize III in the competition of plays for children of ALF for the play for children “Potato Tale”.
2002 Prize I at the competition of plays of the Lithuanian radio for the play “Beans”.
2003 Prize II at the competition of plays of the Lithuanian radio for the play “Open Fracture”.
2004 The most memorable artist of the year of Kaunas.
2004 LATGAA prize for dramaturgy.
2005 Maironis prize of Poetry Spring and the winner’s title of the Poetry Spring for the poetry book “Not Needed Most Probably Necessary”.
2007 Golden Stage Cross award for the best author of national drama for the play “Beans”.
2012 Title of the Man of Tolerance of the Year of Sugihara Fund Diplomats for Life for the play about Holocaust in Lithuania in the play "The Pit" (performance "Day and Night" directed by Stanislovas Rubinovas).
2014 LATGA golden star for creative contribution into national sung poetry.
Bibliography
1992 poetry book “Nameless”, (Keturi Vėjai publishing house).
1998 poetry book “I Ate one Cranberry”, (Nemunas publishing house).
2004 poetry book “Not Needed Most Probably Necessary” (Lithuanian Writers’ Union publishing house)
2010 Selected poems. Library of Poetry Spring Winners. – Kaunas: Naujasis Lankas, 2010.
Plays for children
1998 “Nightingale“ (according to H.Ch.Andersen),
2001 ”Potato Tale”,
2001 “When a Star is Falling“
2003 “New King’s Clothes“ (according to H.Ch.Andersen),
2003 “Fox and Hen“,
2004 “Beauty and Monster“,
2005 ”Swineherd“ (according to H.Ch.Andersen).
2015 – "Oak Child" (according to the book of V. Petkevičius "Adventures of Acorn in the Land of Vices")
Plays for grown-ups
2002 “Beans”
2002 “Thunder’s Story”
2002 “Shot in Quay”
2003 “Open Fracture”
2011 "The Pit" (performance "Day and Night" directed by Stanislovas Rubinovas)
