Scenography by Jūratė Paulėkaitė. Photo by Dmitrij Matvejev

Having staged two plays by a young German playwright Marius von Mayenburg at his theatre, director Oskaras Koršunovas has decided to stage the third one with the help of the best actors from the Klaipėda State Drama Theatre. On the stage covered in white glazed tiles, a cinematic montage of families without love and their apocalypse rolls gradually towards a regular denouement.

The Cold Child by Koršunovas is like a continuation of the theme from Fireface. The director and the playwright are the same. Only Oskaras has become more mature. Fireface expresses his anger directed towards the society. Here, sympathy of the director towards contemporary society goes hand in hand with anger. I can feel the love of Oskaras aimed at those who are lost in this modern life. All lost souls in The Cold Child are treated mercifully. And that’s what I mean by maturity of the director.

By Yun-Cheol Kim. From the interview on the programme of Sirenos’04 Ín Different Context (Lith. Kitame kontekste). Teatras, Winter 2004

Having decided to be the set designer for his own performance Koršunovas squeezes all eight character onto the platform made of white WC tiles. In this cramped, cold and slippery space, they try to lead their intimate life as if nobody else existed, as if nobody did the things they do. They refuse to see, hear or pay attention to their surroundings. At the same time, you see this as their public visit to a collective psychologist. Characters retell their stories to him in order to clarify their lives to themselves. The audience is both a psychologist and a judge.

By Rūta Oginskaitė. Koršunovas Pulls Down Trousers to Society at Klaipeda Theatre (Lith. Klaipėdos teatre O.Koršunovas numauna kelnes visuomenei). Lietuvos rytas/Mūzų malūnas, 09-03-2004

Once again victories were brought due to stage experience and charisma of the actors rather than meticulously performed tricks. Even if this concoction does not explode, Bickford’s safety fuse has certainly been ignited. (…) Everybody knows that in comparison to other theatre companies, the company of the Klaipėda Theatre has been one of the most uniform and strongest ensembles. But now the actors have revealed themselves with all their weight and beauty. The strong point of the actors as well as the direction itself is its non-insistence. Almost unnecessity. Non-exhibition. Unconstrained direction. That leads to complete reliance in the audience…

By Vaidas Jauniškis. Daily Tragedies with Campari (Lith. Kasdienybių tragedijos su Campari). Verslo žinios, 12-08-2004