"The King's Tale"

A|CH THEATER “THE TALE OF THE KINGS” A dance performance set to music by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and other Lithuanian composers Director, choreographer, and librettist – Anželika Cholina Set designer – Marijus Jacovskis Costume designer – Olga Filatova-Kontrimienė Lighting designer – Eugenijus Sabaliauskas Video artist – Tomas Stonys The production features 32 soloists from Anželika Cholina’s Dance Theater, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater, the Kaunas State Musical Theater, and artists from the ACH Youth Troupe. Anželika Cholina’s latest work, which premiered in July 2025, has already secured a special place in the history of Lithuanian theater; and to date, it has been seen by a record number of viewers—as many as 35,000! Based on national ticket sales (according to www.bilietai.lt), the production has also been recognized as the most-watched dance performance of 2025 in all of Lithuania. Produced to mark the 150th anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’s birth for Lithuania and the world, and having become one of the highlights of the Čiurlionis Year cultural program, it continues its journey across the country and into the hearts of audiences today during the ACH Theater’s new—and 27th—season. “The Tale of the Kings” is an epic, poetic, and visually rich dance performance that reveals—in a fresh, sensitive, and dramatic way—the extraordinary life story of the great Lithuanian composer and artist, a story that remains largely unknown to the wider public. “In this work, it is important to me to recreate as accurately as possible the psychological portrait of Čiurlionis the man, his relationship to his art, the women in his life, his early tragic fate, when his soul—unrecognized in its time, submerged in poverty and darkness—left this world before his body did…” —says A. Cholina, the play’s director, choreographer, and librettist. The play’s main characters are not only Čiurlionis himself at three different stages of his life and not only the most important women in his life (his first love, Marija Moravska; his patron, Bronislava Volman; and his wife, Sofija Kymantaitė)—but also Čiurlionis’s art, which, in the author’s conviction, was his very essence. “The Tale of the Kings” brings to life Čiurlionis’s unique and profound world, which was for him both a gift from God and a source of suffering. This inner world is embodied in the production by as many as 25 performers from the ACH Theater’s Youth Troupe, who together create a distinct yet fundamentally unified character central to this production. “The King’s Tale” is not the first production in which the young dance talents nurtured by A. Cholinos have performed on the main stages of the ACH and other Lithuanian theaters, but it is the first time on such a grand scale. In addition to the grand ensemble scenes, the leading roles in “The King’s Tale” are, as always, performed by the brightest stars of Lithuanian professional dance—the principal soloists of the ACH Theater and other theaters across the country: Jonas Laucius, Nora Straukaitė, Martynas Čiučiulka, Olesia Šaitanova, Beata Molytė, Rokas Spalinskas, Vadimas Krupeninas, and others. The scale and scope of the premiere are also impressive: in total, more than thirty performers dance in the production, with over 300 costumes created for them, and the scenes and visuals dynamically shift one after another, drawing the audience into a nearly two-hour journey through Čiurlionis’s world—from birth to death—powerfully told through the language of dance. “It’s simply impossible to tell this story any more briefly or modestly—the subject matter itself demands a grandiose expression,” comments A. Cholina, explaining her determination to spare no resources for her project. “There can be no compromises—if you’ve set your sights on a theme like this, you have to go all out.” IMPORTANT! — As we continue to actively promote the tradition of cultural patronage in Lithuania, we invite you to contribute to the future of the independent, self-funded ACH Theater and to purchase a special, more expensive than usual PATRON TICKET for all our performances. Thanks to your support, our theater can plan new premieres, maintain a professional troupe of performers, embark on tours throughout Lithuania—even to the country’s more remote regions where professional performing arts are less accessible—and never compromise on the artistic and technical quality of our productions. As we watch the sales of these tickets continue to grow, we are convinced—we are certainly not alone. Thank you to every single current and future supporter of the ACH Theater! Furthermore, in an effort to bring about positive change in society and help shape a new perspective on cultural patronage in our country, two years ago we took the lead in educating young people and nurturing a new generation of cultural patrons. That is why, in the new season, we are continuing this initiative, which is open to all young people aged 15–24, – they can continue to purchase “FUTURE PATRON TICKETS” for all ACH Theater performances and watch the shows from a special section, alongside the theater’s patrons. Young people can purchase these tickets with a 50 percent discount already applied, and upon arrival at the performance, we will ask them to present only an ID proving their age along with their ticket. We have no doubt that by giving young people the opportunity to see our theater’s performances under special conditions, we are helping to nurture a generation of young Lithuanians who care deeply about theater, art, and culture! To purchase 10 or more tickets, please contact [email protected] Doors open 1 hour before the start of the event Event duration: 1 hour 50 minutes  (no intermission) Children are not admitted free of charge Age restriction: N-10 Discounts: for students, schoolchildren, seniors, and people with disabilities For more information, call +370 688 34181 or email [email protected] Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCZCopkny0Y Organizer: Anželika Cholina’s Dance Theater, Public Institution