Play THE PILLOWMAN N-16

Director: Gintaras VARNAS Playwright: Martin McDONAGH Music: Zbigniew PREISNER, Benjamin BRITTEN, Giedrius PUSKUNIGIS Scenography: Julija SKURATOVA Cast: Arnas AŠMONAS, Gytis LASKOVAS, Balys IVANAUSKAS, Adomas JASIUKĖNAS Translated from English by: Aistė PTAKAUSKAITĖ Age rating: N-16 Ticket price: 10 – 20 Eur. Starting as a mysterious and dark crime story, the play turns into a macabre neo-Gothic thriller. Several small children have been brutally murdered, and the method of their murder is described in the short stories of the young writer Katurian. Even after the killer is identified, the question remains: who is to blame? Can an artist be blamed for the cruelty of their art? Can art be blamed by saying it "promotes violence and murder"? Culture professional recommends: "It is interesting whether, while writing this play almost three decades ago, Martin McDonagh sensed that the power of storytelling in the world would strengthen so much that we would increasingly struggle to understand what is truth and what is fiction. In general, 'The Pillowman' is a paradoxical play. Depressing, yet hopeful. Forcing you to doubt which character (or duo) you want to support, while at the same time, as the action layers, to doubt your own morality. It is also surprising how the injustice and pain of the whole world fit into a chamber environment. And although the first minutes of the play seem drawn out and full of tension, the last ones are already too short, even though there is nothing left to continue." – Kotryna Lingienė, editor of 'Kaunas Pilnas Kultūros' magazine.

Playwright Martin McDonagh is a world-renowned contemporary Irish dramatist. The play 'The Pillowman' (2003) won the prestigious Olivier and Evening Standard awards and is staged all over the world. Before this production, Gintaras Varnas had not worked with Martin McDonagh's work, and this time he chose the piece specifically, not the author. "An important thing that determined the choice of the play is the macabre, even morbid, neo-Gothic atmosphere. Sometimes it is not even clear whether some events took place in reality or only in Katurian's head," says the director. The play analyzes the relationship between creation and reality, the importance and influence of creation, and the creator's responsibility for the art they create. In 2018, for the play 'The Pillowman', director Gintaras Varnas was awarded the 'Fortūna' statuette at the Kaunas Theater Awards, and at the highest Lithuanian theater awards, the director was nominated for the Golden Stage Cross. Scenographer Julija Skuratova was awarded the 'Fortūna' statuette in 2018 for the scenography and puppets in the play. Attention: the play is marked with an N-16 age restriction because it contains scenes of violence and cruelty, and uses profanity. These are elements that may have a negative impact on the mental health and moral development of a younger viewer.