Starting point '26: fire at the end

September 30 (Wednesday) 18:00 I 1 hr 20 min. LMTA I dir. Balys Švedas I N-16 Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Main Hall Free admission The death of a child becomes an event that disrupts the life of the entire community. A boy dies in a traffic accident caused during a police chase, and the only witness to the tragedy is a foreign soldier who has returned from war. However, his testimony does not help to uncover the truth. On the contrary, it only fuels suspicion, fear, and distrust. After the tragedy, not only do the relationships between neighbors begin to crumble, but so does people's faith in one another, and everyday life is gradually overtaken by loneliness, guilt, and an inability to come to terms with the loss. In her play, one of the most prominent contemporary German playwrights, Dea Loher, creates a polyphonic narrative in which the stories of interconnected people intertwine. A mother, a father, a grandmother, a police officer, a mistress, a soldier returned from war – each of them carries their own burden of guilt, longing, love, or despair. The lives of these characters intersect after a single accident, but the play is not so much about the accident itself as it is about what remains after it – the emptiness that quietly permeates people's daily lives. "Fire at the End" is written like a contemporary tragedy – it has no single main hero or clear culprits. Instead, Dea Loher focuses on the community, where everyone becomes both a witness and a participant. The structure of the play resembles ancient drama: an event that cannot be changed becomes the starting point for a multitude of intertwined fates. Personal stories merge into a sensitive narrative about human fragility, responsibility, and a desperate desire not to lose the hope to live. Warnings: the performance uses strobe lights, discusses emotionally impactful themes, and depicts violence. Playwright: Dea Loher Director: Balys Švedas Producer: Miglė Cirulytė Scenographers: Balys Švedas, Elena Gelminė Tamošaitytė, Vakaris Montvilas Composer: Justina Dvarionaitė Original music performed by: Lukrecija Kalinauskaitė, Ovidijus Miežietis, Marija Ambrazaitė Sound recorded by: Matas Jurkėnas Shadow episodes performed by: Janina Matekonytė