Eimuntas Nekrošius
Encyclopedia
Eimuntas Nekrošius is one of the most renowned theatre directors in Lithuania
.
in Moscow. After returning to Lithuania Nekrošius has been working in the Vilnius
State Youth Theatre from 1978 until 1979. In 1979 he moved to the Kaunas State Drama Theatre
, where he stayed for a year until 1980. 1980 he returned to Vilnius
State Youth Theatre, where he staged series of notable plays:
Among the features characteristic to his plays are the soothing background music of a repetitive pattern throughout the performance, extensive use of dance and movement and unique props
on stage, as well as an employment of natural substances as water, fire, wind, ice and stone. The length of a single performance often exceeds conventional viewing time, since Nekrošius favours complex and challenging pieces to stage, such as the Song of Songs
or The Seasons
by Kristijonas Donelaitis
.
, Estonia
, Russia and other countries. Nekrošius is a laureate of numerous state awards.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
Career
In 1978 Nekrošius graduated from Lunacharsky Institute of Theatre ArtsGITIS
The Russian University of Theatre Arts was founded on 22 September 1878 as the Shestakovsky Music School, became the Musico-Dramatic School of the Moscow Philharmonic Society in 1883, and was elevated to the status of a conservatory in 1886...
in Moscow. After returning to Lithuania Nekrošius has been working in the Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
State Youth Theatre from 1978 until 1979. In 1979 he moved to the Kaunas State Drama Theatre
Kaunas State Drama Theatre
The Kaunas State Drama Theatre is the biggest theatre in Kaunas, and one of the oldest functioning theatres in Lithuania.-History :Its beginnings date to the 1920s, when the Lithuanian Artists' Association established drama and opera playhouses. The first play performed by the Kaunas Drama Theatre...
, where he stayed for a year until 1980. 1980 he returned to Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
State Youth Theatre, where he staged series of notable plays:
Among the features characteristic to his plays are the soothing background music of a repetitive pattern throughout the performance, extensive use of dance and movement and unique props
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
on stage, as well as an employment of natural substances as water, fire, wind, ice and stone. The length of a single performance often exceeds conventional viewing time, since Nekrošius favours complex and challenging pieces to stage, such as the Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
or The Seasons
The Seasons (poem)
The Seasons ' is the first Lithuanian poem written by Kristijonas Donelaitis around 1765–1775. It was published as "Das Jahr" in Königsberg, 1818 by Ludwig Rhesa, who also entitled the poem and selected the arrangement of the parts. The German translation was included in the first edition of the...
by Kristijonas Donelaitis
Kristijonas Donelaitis
Kristijonas Donelaitis was a Prussian Lithuanian Lutheran pastor and poet. He lived and worked in Lithuania Minor, a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia, that had a sizable minority of ethnic Lithuanians...
.
Notable plays
- The Square (1980),
- Pirosmani, Pirosmani (1981),
- Rock operaRock operaA rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
Love and Death in Verona by Sigitas GedaSigitas GedaSigitas Geda was a poet and translator in Lithuania.- Education and career :He studied history and philology at Vilnius University. In 1966 his collection Pedos came out. He was also a leading figure in the Movement for the Support of Perestroika or Sąjūdis...
and K. Antanėlis’ (1982, renewed in 1996), - Chinghiz AitmatovChinghiz AitmatovChyngyz Aitmatov was a Soviet and Kyrgyz author who wrote in both Russian and Kyrgyz. He was the best known figure in Kyrgyzstan's literature.- Life :...
's The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred YearsThe Day Lasts More Than a Hundred YearsThe Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years , originally published in Russian in the Novy Mir literary magazine in 1980, is a novel written by the Kyrgyz author Chinghiz Aitmatov.-The title of the novel:...
(1983), - Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Uncle VanyaUncle VanyaUncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
(1986), - Nikolai GogolNikolai GogolNikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
's The NoseThe Nose"The Nose" is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol. Written between 1835 and 1836, it tells of a St. Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own.-Part one:...
(1991), - Little TragediesLittle TragediesLittle Tragedies are a Russian language progressive rock, art-rock and symphonic rock band from Russia. Arguably the most important Russian progressive rock band.-Style:...
by Aleksandr PushkinAleksandr PushkinAlexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature....
, - HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(1997), - MacbethMacbeth (opera)Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
(2002) (Bolshoi theater, Moscow) - The Children of Rosenthal (2005) (Bolshoi theater, Moscow)
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe's FaustGoethe's FaustJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
(2006). - "Idiot" by Fiodor Dostojevski
Awards
Plays by Nekrošius were awarded diplomas of various theatre festivals in Lithuania, LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Russia and other countries. Nekrošius is a laureate of numerous state awards.
- 1994 Nekrošius received a special prize of the Lithuanian Theatre Union as the Best Director of the Year, and an award of the Baltic AssemblyBaltic AssemblyThe Baltic Assembly is an international organisation which aims to promote co-operation between the parliaments of the Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It attempts to find a common position in relation to many international issues, including economic, political and cultural issues...
for Aleksandr PushkinAleksandr PushkinAlexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature....
's Little TragediesLittle TragediesLittle Tragedies are a Russian language progressive rock, art-rock and symphonic rock band from Russia. Arguably the most important Russian progressive rock band.-Style:...
(Mozart and Salieri. Don JuanDon JuanDon Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
. Plague) as the best theatre performance in the Baltic States. - 1997, Nekrošius produced one of his most successful directions – Hamlet by William Shakespeare, starring Lithuanian music idolPop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
Andrius MamontovasAndrius MamontovasAndrius Mamontovas is a Lithuanian rock musician, songwriter, actor, performer and record producer. He was one of the co-founders of the Lithuanian rock band Foje . He is also one of the masterminds of the LT United project.-Personal life:His father was Russian and mother Lithuanian...
. The play took part in nearly all main European theatre festivals and received numerous awards including Lithuanian National PrizeLithuanian National PrizeThe Lithuanian National Prize , established in 1989, is an award granted for achievements in culture and the arts. It has been awarded annually in six categories since 2006...
. - 1997, Nekrošius received prestigious polish prize for directors - Konrad Swinarski Award of miesięcznik "Teatr", polish theatre monthly journal - for "Hamlet".
- November 2002, Nekrošius produced Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's opera MacbethMacbeth (opera)Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
at Teatro Comunale FlorenceTeatro Comunale FlorenceThe Teatro Comunale di Firenze is an opera house in Florence, Italy. It was originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and which seated 6,000 people...
. - In 2001, Nekrošius received the prestigious international Konstantin StanislavskiKonstantin StanislavskiConstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski , was a Russian actor and theatre director. Building on the directorially-unified aesthetic and ensemble playing of the Meiningen company and the naturalistic staging of Antoine and the independent theatre movement, Stanislavski organized his realistic...
's award in Moscow. - In 2005 he received the Herder PrizeHerder PrizeThe Herder Prize, established in 1963 and named for Johann Gottfried von Herder, was a prestigious international prize dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations, and presented to scholars and artists from Central and Southeastern Europe whose life and work have improved...
. In January 2008, Italian theater critics recognized Nekrošius' staged play FaustFaustFaust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
as the best foreign production in Italy and awarded UBU Prize, a third one in Nekrošius carrier. - 2008 Nekrosius received the third Honorary Award of the 16th International Istanbul Theater Festival