The only opportunity to see: The sound and movement performance “Insomnia” awarded with the Golden Stage Cross – MadeinVilnius.lt

May 2 The sound and movement performance “Insomnia” by Lithuanian and Ukrainian creators will be shown in Vilnius. Created from a distance and analyzing the theme of insomnia in the context of war, last year the performance was awarded the highest theatrical award – the Golden Cross of the Stage – in the category of social resonance.

Several months of the creative process being separate and seeing only virtually, not even knowing whether it will be possible to show the performance live in the end – such a creative process accompanied four artists Yana Shliabanska and Mariya Salo from Ukraine and Donatas Bielkauskas and Petra Lisauskas from Lithuania. Producer Goda Giedraityta and sound artist D. Bielkauskas came up with the idea of ​​connecting artists with different experiences and reflecting on their insomnia and anxiety in the face of war. In cooperation with Viktor Ruban, a dance creator and producer from Ukraine, two Ukrainian creators were invited to join the project.

Insomnia is the opposite of sleep. It’s a state where we’re constantly on the alert… because rockets and bombs are falling overhead and you can’t put up a shield… but on the other hand, you have to be always ready. This is a sign of resistance, which does not allow us to fall asleep in the face of war due to the feeling of indifference, boredom, and routine. Memory cannot be erased… Insomnia is the companion of people fleeing war… it is also the companion of people who accept refugees. In the face of war, we are no longer asleep…we are in a constant state of alertness…anxiety, anger and hope drown out sleep…

Sound interpretations on the topic of insomnia and guided by personal experiences were created by Y. Shliabanska in Paris, where she left after the war in Ukraine, and D. Bielkauskas in Klaipėda. Their extremely strong music became the basis for the choreographic decisions of the two dancers. M. Salo rehearsed in Lviv under rocket fire, and P. Lisauskas in Molėtai. Having met live, the performers combined their solo parts into a single 45-minute long performance.

The scenography of the performance is minimal. The phone screen lighting up in the hands of Mr. Lisauskas is a reference to the source of information from Ukraine and the “savior” from insomnia. Spotlights occasionally pierce the dark hall, reminding us of today’s Ukraine, which is drowning in darkness, and at the end, the light source above the head is at least a small sign of hope for humanity. Lighting for the performance was created by lighting designer Stasys Jamantas and D. Bielkauskas.

The creative team of the play is always haunted by the uncertainty of whether they will be able to meet live, but this spring the play is traveling through Lithuania and invites the audience to meetings:

• May 2 7:00 p.m. Art printing house, Vilnius,

• May 3 7:00 p.m. in the Ukmergė cultural center.