Requiem

Premiere: May 11, 2024 Director and Playwright: Dmitry Krymov Producer: Inna Krymova Lighting Designer: Eugenijus Sabaliauskas Set and Costume Designer: Renata Valčik Set Designer’s Assistant: Daiva Dašenkovienė Choreographer: Anna Abalikhina Sound Director and Composer: Edvinas Vasiljevas Translator: Artūras Lepiochinas Dramaturgy Assistant: Virginija Rimkaitė Assistant Director: Artūras Lepiochinas Cast: Interrogator – Darius Meškauskas Teacher – Samanta Pinaitytė Hamlet – Jonas Baranauskas Ophelia – Digna Kulionytė Grandmothers: Sigutė Gaudušytė, Toma Gailiutė Parachutist – Karolis Maiskis Sergeant – Artūras Lepiochinas Old Japanese Woman – Toma Gailiutė Toy No. 1 – Vaidas Jočys / Edvardas Brazys Girl – Elzė Jankūnaitė / Barbora Jokubauskaitė Editors: Vitalij Morozov, Mindaugas Matevičius, Linas Bagdonas, Rokas Tomaševičius, Darius Matevičius, Voldemaras Piepolis, Rytis Veverskis, Linas Rubinas, Dovydas Tertelis, Sergej Bezuglov, Gintas Rinkevičius Under a clear sky, students accompanied by attentive teachers climb a hill. A young man and woman fall madly in love with each other. The inhabitants of this vast country patiently and consistently strive for a better future for themselves and their children. In the play “Requiem,” created at the Klaipėda Drama Theater, director D. Krymov masterfully weaves together the threads of the narrative;—at first glance, they seem completely unrelated, hailing from different cultures and eras. How can one connect Haruki Murakami, William Shakespeare, and the bloody war in Ukraine instigated by Russia? According to the director, the specific stories behind each narrative thread in “Requiem” are not as important as the overall tone of the production. D. Krymov himself, renowned for his fantastical masterpieces of the performing arts that challenge the laws of reality, dedicates “Requiem” to children—those born and those yet to be born—all of whom find themselves in this strange, cruel, sometimes completely unfamiliar, and hostile world. This contrasts with the meaning of a requiem, for a requiem is a mass for the dead, a farewell to the soul as it journeys to the afterlife. But hasn’t today’s world fallen to pieces?—asks the director. Aren’t all the living stunned and lost, not knowing what to do? The requiem created by D. Krymov resonates with everyone. It is music of consolation—mourning the world’s tragedy, acknowledging the crushing despair, yet leaving room for hope. And all hope for the future lies in the innocence of childhood. The big question for everyone is: how can we preserve it? About “Requiem”: “By stepping beyond the boundaries of traditional theater, this production not only demonstrated a bold creative vision but also revealed new possibilities for theatrical language. Often, theater—with its established narratives and formal standards—relies on universally recognized values and techniques, but ‘Requiem’ proves that even familiar motifs and clichés can be reborn and become a source of fresh creative expression.” (Rosana Lukauskaitė, “Šiaurės Atėnai”) On the theater created by D. Krymov: “A nighttime circus spectacle, a wild and alluring darkness where all the performers are ghosts.” (Helen Shaw, *The New Yorker*) “One of the world’s most inventive, aesthetically liberated, and gloriously and thoughtfully chaotic theaters.” (Sara Holdren, “Vulture”) The performance contains explicit language, and smoking occurs during the show.