VMT play

A one-act play that has become a classic of the VMT repertoire

According to J. Tumas-Vaižgantas, 'dėdės' (uncles) and 'dėdienės' (aunts) refer not so much to kinship as to the social relationship between the owners who inherited the farm and the 'uncles' who remained there to work and toil, whose position was something between a servant, a hired hand, and a family member, only harder than that of a servant, because they worked without pay, usually for 'food and meager clothing'.

Director – Gabrielė Tuminaitė

based on the novella by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas

VMT actress Agnė Šataitė was awarded the 'Golden Stage Cross' (2014) for the lead role of Severiutė in the play 'Dėdės ir dėdienės'.

Composer – Giedrius Puskunigis

Set and costume designer – Vilma Galeckaitė-Dabkienė

Makeup artist – Dalia Žakytė-Bučienė

Cast:

MYKOLAS – Arvydas Dapšys

SEVERIUTĖ – Agnė Šataitė

MYKOLIUKAS – Karolis Kasperavičius / Vainius Sodeika

GEIŠĖ RAPOLAS – Mindaugas Capas

DOVYDIENĖ – Indrė Patkauskaitė

DOVYDŽIUKAS – Daumantas Ciunis

In director Gabrielė Tuminaitė's adaptation, it is precisely these 'uncles' and 'aunts' who are depicted: Mykoliukas, Severiutė, and Rapolas. The characters created by the writer's masterful hand, although placed in the harsh circumstances of a serf village, are able to feel, observe, and perceive themselves deeply, and experience the highest moments of existence.

For those tired of the endless flow of information, the audience is invited to rest their spirits in the play; this, according to the director, is the advantage of classical works. It does not aim to shock, as is often characteristic of contemporary works, so the piece becomes like a refuge from the surrounding noise and chaos. Like sitting on a bench and staying there until morning by the Lithuanian lagoons, watching a simple but beautiful view, without rushing and breathing deeply.

'This is everyone's story; we are all Mykoliukas and Severiutės. We lose, we let happiness slip through our fingers, and it is unclear who is to blame. The story of Mykoliukas and Severiutė is not just a vision of love. It is a moment when a dream is created out of pain and loneliness, when the world shatters because life is too strong, and only the daily duty remains – to live. Only that one dream saves us. This work reminded us, the creative team, of our dreams, and we share them with the audience,' says director Gabrielė Tuminaitė.