Play STONES IN HIS POCKETS

Director: Gytis PADEGIMAS Play: Marie JONES Choreography: Indrė PUIŠYTĖ Scenography: Sergėjus BOCULLO Music: Raimundas MARTINKĖNAS Cast: Jonas BARANAUSKAS and Vytautas GASILIŪNAS Translation from English: Vilija GRIGAITYTĖ The main characters of the play are simple people from a remote corner of Ireland, whose lives are turned upside down by a film crew from Hollywood that suddenly invades. Simple villagers become extras on a film set and realize that they are small cogs not only in a large filming mechanism, but in life itself. Gradually, the oppressed, insignificant, and exploited characters seek common ground, discover each other, and try to lean on those nearby in order to survive. The main axis of the community begins to form – compassion, friendship, unity; the characters gain dignity and learn to have their own opinions and defend their positions. This play reveals the entire anatomy of human friendship – how the friendship between two people expands, becoming a universal solidarity capable of sparking the resistance so lacking in our society. In today's social life, we notice that people have thousands of Facebook friends who only create an illusion of friendship. Virtual communication, according to director Gytis Padegimas, is merely a substitute for reality, a spiritual masturbation. People are losing the true spiritual connections from which society grows. Healthy spiritual connections mature a healthy social organism, while their absence leads to the metastases of societal diseases.

The play's director believes that many people are leaving the country today precisely because of the lack of spiritual infrastructure and the lack of human dignity. All economic crises are consequences of spiritual crises. "If we lived normally, if friendship and compassion were our daily bread, there would be no need for campaigns to save those dying of hunger," the director asserts. Alienation, a lack of unity, dignity, and community are the stones in our pockets that pull us to the bottom. Therefore, this play is very timely and relevant. The play is interesting not only for its theme but also for its form. The entire story is told by two people who play 15 characters from the play. Two actors create an entire carnival of characters: the pompous film director, his assistants, the eccentric movie star, the extras, and the gawkers. The story is told in a witty, playful language, where self-irony overshadows any moralizing.