LIETUVIŲ FOLKLORO TEATRAS: AUTENTIŠKAS DAINAVIMAS, METAFORINĖ RAIŠKA IR ĮSPŪDINGAS SCENOVAIZDIS
THE LITHUANIAN FOLKLORE THEATRE: AUTHENTIC SINGING, IMPRESSIVE SCENOGRAPHY, AND METAPHORIC EXPRESSION

Summary/Abstract: Director Povilas Mataitis and scenographer Dalia Mataitienė founded the Lithuanian Folklore Theatre in 1968. It drew inspiration from traditional customs and festivals accompanying the life of the Lithuanian people from birth to death. The “golden age” of the theatre was in the 1980s and 1990s; its typical topics comprised continuity of the national culture and retaining of history. Performances devoted to the most painful historical events shocked their public by revealing some shivering facts, while compositions interpreting calendar rituals charmed the viewers by use of the archaic mythical symbols. Authors of the performances studied heritage of the different epochs, including iconography, costumes, stories, and folk songs; later they also learned the dialects, the authentic manner of singing, and characteristic movements. The folk music performed on stage revealed the peculiarities of different Lithuanian regions. Folk songs were regarded as masterpieces and not subjected to change. The highly suggestive texts of the songs used to be recited, while the melodies were performed with artistic subtlety. The complicated arrangements tended to be avoided, as they could choke down the messages encoded in the song texts, which were extremely important for the people of the occupied country.

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