An evening with the director V. Pauliukaitis is a gift of four libraries to the residents

The National Lithuanian Library Week gave the readers of the Marijampolė region interesting meetings, enriched their knowledge, and encouraged them to discover unread books.

On April 26, in the hall of the Liudvinavos culture center, even the employees of four Marijampole municipal libraries – Želsva, Liudvinavos, Netičkampios and Valavičiai – invited residents to a meeting with the director and host of musical projects, screenwriter Vytenius Pauliukaitis. The event is dedicated to the National Lithuanian Library Week.

Introducing the guest, Irena Lunskienė, an employee of the Želsva library, said that she and Vytenius Pauliukaitis are friends, born when I. Lunskienė was the mayor of Marijampole municipality, and Marijampole carried the flag of the Capital of Culture. “We met on a TV show and became friends, we are nurturing that beautiful relationship to this day,” said I. Lunskienė.

V. Pauliukaitis came to meet the residents of Marijampolė municipality not only because of the friendship between them, but also because this region is dear to him. Vytenis was born and grew up in Marijampolė until the eighth grade. P. Arminos street is still his birthplace, his parents are laid to rest in the old city cemetery.

Marijampole Drama Theater has a special role in the life of V. Pauliukaitis. According to Vytenis, in his childhood, his grandmother constantly dragged him to the theater, where he saw all kinds of things. Who knows, maybe this influenced his decision to choose studies at the State Conservatory (now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater), where he acquired the professions of television director and actor.

“Marijampole is the city of my childhood, I got a lot while growing up here. My first grades and music school are here. There was a pre-war atmosphere in our house, I grew up under the care of four grandparents. My mother was very democratic. She let me go to all the clubs I wanted. So there was basketball, ballet, and theater. I was also dragged to a music school, because my mother wanted me to be a conductor, but I didn’t want to,” Vytenis shared his memories.

The director said that in his childhood both grandmothers Maria played a significant role. Only little Maria was gentle, she made sure that Vytenis ate, because he was a skinny child, while big Maria was extremely strict. She instilled good manners in her grandchildren. “Now I would say: they terrorized us. But I forgave her. Instead, now I know how to eat broth and use five forks,” joked the director.

V. Pauliukaitis wittily told how he became a TV operator’s assistant, what challenges he had to overcome while working. “I used to broadcast competitions from the Kaunas hall, I used to hang out on the deck. Once at the Kaunas metal factory, they put me near the furnaces, where I almost got burned, or they threw me into the heights of the church and left me forgotten,” Vytenis shared his impressions of his first job.

An hour of a lively, witty story about his life, which included studies at the conservatory, and work as a director of music and artistic TV programs of the Kaunas editorial office of the Lithuanian State Radio and TV Committee, an internship at Moscow Central Television, projects at the Sports Palace. And where else have video films, musicals, music films, a project for a world exhibition, television shows, various events, including the Day of Defenders of Freedom, February 16th holidays, work on various televisions, work with ballet gone unnoticed. The audience could see excerpts from the films made by V. Pauliukaitis about the opera star Gražina Apanavičiūtė “From the Lakes of Memory”, Nerijas Juškas, ballet primaries of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater, Juoz Gruš’s drama “Barbora Radvilaitė” in Trakai Castle directed by him.

“I had many events, projects, musical performances, the opportunity to work with celebrities, meet interesting people. I did everything on my own, I had no uncles or aunts to push me into television. I like meeting people. For fun, I’ve counted how many I’ve created. I had joy from that work. At the same time, I can say that there were projects where I did not bow down because it seemed to me a failed piece. My work is very complicated, because it depends not on me alone, but on many things,” said V. Pauliukaitis.

Among the jobs he likes is directing the play “Apostle” in Marijampole, working with the actors of the Marijampole Drama Theater. According to the director, these were great days. “When the renovation of the Drama Theater is finished, the performance will be transferred to its stage, I will have paid my tribute to the drama theater of my hometown,” said V. Pauliukaitis.

According to I. Lunskienė, such a rich creative path and life, as Vytenis had and has, cannot be described in an hour. The way he managed to do it professionally, to make him both listen and laugh, shows that V. Pauliukaitis is not only a great director, but also an actor”, said I. Lunskienė, summarizing the meeting. The guest wished the residents of Ludvinavas precinct to continue to live so well, to nurture their homes, their villages and towns, because greenery and life create a positive charge for a person.

The audience applauded loudly, thanking the director for an interesting story and congratulating him on his 75th anniversary, which Vytenis celebrated on April 8. After the event, those gathered were happy to take pictures with the creator in order to have a photo of such a great artist as a memory.