Theatre director Jonas Jurašas. Photo by Dmitry Matveyev

On October 11, the Audronius Liuga Production (ALP) presented the première of the performance Doubt (Lith. Dvejonė) by director Jonas Jurašas at the Studio of the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts (Malūnų Str.5). This is the first work by Jurašas in Lithuanian drama theatre following a long break. In the early 1970s, one of the most prominent directors of the senior generation was forced to leave Lithuania because of his sharp creative as well as civil ideas, and worked in theatres of the USA, Germany, Japan, and other countries.

The performance Doubt is based on the play by famous American screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. The play was granted the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and served as the source of inspiration for the creation of the film bearing the same title Doubt. The main roles are performed by the actors Eglė Mikailionytė and Povilas Budrys in the performance.

The play Doubt speaks bitterly of the crises of values within a church community based on dogmas. The author seeks the answer to the question where the reasons for such a public moral crisis lie. In his opinion, this is the lack of doubt and tolerance within different layers of public life.

Director Jonas Jurašas has always been attracted to untraditional spaces. Unsurprisingly, the locations for this particular performance have never been used for theatrical purposes before. The rehearsals were organised at the Holy Cross House and the Studio of the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts. The atmosphere of these spaces undoubtedly influenced the creative process and artistic decisions of the performance.

Arts Factory information