DECUMAN WAVE 2

Milda Kiaušaitė
www.kamane.lt, 2012-11-06
Photo from the archive of Kaunas National Drama Theatre (photographer – Donatas Stankevičius)

In brief: The manifestation of the director Agnius Jankevičius “Let’s Save Love” is a revolt against the consumer society, the aim to seize more of everything and faster as well as to consume and get rid of everything quickly.

“Let’s Save Love” is the last performance directed by A. Jankevičius from the trilogy staged according to works of the Canadian writer Daniel Denis (“Song of Dir Diro” (“The Last Song of Durans”), 2009 and “Stone Ashes”, 2010). The loyalty to one author and the recognisable director’s style makes A. Jankevičius one of the most interesting young directors creating at Kaunas Drama Theatre. His performances are gloomy, intensive, bubbling with emotions and demanding. Not only from actors but also from the audience.

If Lars von Trier dared to let in theatre to the filming site while staging “Dogville”, A. Jankevičius resolves to let in the narrator to theatre. Moreover, 246 dogs (First-year students of acting of VMU) living on a mystical island become this narrator – they observe and embody stories of nine inhabitants of the island. There are almost no decorations on the stage – only a gravel ground fenced by stones and a concrete wall with chalk inscriptions. Actors do not differ from young people in jeans with black hoods hiding faces seen everyday on the street. Workers found in the backstage of the theatre may be noticed in the corner – they are wonderful musicians, as it appears.

Nine inhabitants of the island, nine suffering souls are performed by the actress Gabrielė Aničaitė and Aleksandras Kleinas. No costumes, theatre make-up is needed – the rebellious theatre refuses cries, wigs and white faces. Actors, hair-dos, decorations do not change, and only small details and constantly repeated dossiers of characters help the viewer not to get lost among quickly developing stories, among tightly intertwining human relations and the ball of desires and loneliness.

G. Aničaitė and A. Kleinas bear and convey the big emotional load masterfully. Characters of G. Aničaitė are more manly, darker, dramatic and similar due to their intensity, while the characters acted by A. Kleinas are softer, more fragile, feminine and more diverse.

The crowd of VMU first-year course actors bring some dissonance between the sensitive existence of the characters and the loud shouts of the observers. On the other hand, it is a creative way to continue the story and to move the audience.

Persistent rhythm, fluctuation, cycle. Circle of grey stones. Loneliness. Love. Longing. Love. Longing. Love, Existence. Love. The decuman wave comes...

 

Photos from the archive of Kaunas National Drama Theatre (photographer – Donatas Stankevičius)

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