Oskaras Koršunovas
Encyclopedia
Oskaras Koršunovas is a Lithuania
n theatre director.
Between 1988 and 1994 Oskaras Koršunovas studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in theatre directing. After graduating, he staged more than 20 performances, first at Academic Drama Theatre of Lithuania, later at Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT) established by him in 1998.
He has created his own personal style and established the concept of his theatre. He focuses on present-day reality, chaos and paradox, absurdity and fragmentation.
In 2002 he won the Lithuanian National Prize
and European New Reality Prize.
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...
n theatre director.
Between 1988 and 1994 Oskaras Koršunovas studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in theatre directing. After graduating, he staged more than 20 performances, first at Academic Drama Theatre of Lithuania, later at Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT) established by him in 1998.
He has created his own personal style and established the concept of his theatre. He focuses on present-day reality, chaos and paradox, absurdity and fragmentation.
In 2002 he won the Lithuanian National Prize
Lithuanian National Prize
The 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...
and European New Reality Prize.
List of directed plays
- 1990 Here to be There ("Ten būti čia") (play by Aleksandr Vvedenski and Daniil KharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
at Music Academy of Lithuania/ Academic Drama Theatre / Youth Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania); - 1992 The Old Woman ("Senė") (play by Daniil KharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
, Academic Drama Theatre); - 1993 Jelizaveta Bam (play Daniil KharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
, Parchem City Theatre, Germany); - 1994 Hello Sonia New Year ("Labas Sonia Nauji metai") (play by Aleksandr Vvedenski, Academic Drama Theater);
- 1994 The Old Woman 2 ("Senė 2") (play by Daniil KharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
, Academic Drama Theatre); - 1995 The Flying DutchmanThe Flying Dutchman (opera)Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
("Skrajojantis olandas") (opera by Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Lithuania); - 1997 P.S. Byla OK (play by Sigitas ParulskisSigitas ParulskisSigitas Parulskis is a modern Lithuanian poet, essayist, playwright and reviewer. In 1990 he graduated from Vilnius University, Lithuanian language and literature. He was working in notable journals and newspapers...
, Academic Drama Theatre); - 1998 Roberto Zucco (play by Bernard-Marie KoltèsBernard-Marie KoltèsBernard-Marie Koltès was a French playwright and director.-Life:Born in 1948 to a middle-class family in Metz, his life was violent and anchored in revolt. He tried his hand at writing at a very young age but later renounced it, and didn't take to the stage until the age of twenty...
, Academic Drama Theatre); - 1998 Jelizaveta Bam (play Daniil Kharms, "Studio" theatre, Warszawa, Poland);
- 1998 Coco (play by Bernard-Marie KoltèsBernard-Marie KoltèsBernard-Marie Koltès was a French playwright and director.-Life:Born in 1948 to a middle-class family in Metz, his life was violent and anchored in revolt. He tried his hand at writing at a very young age but later renounced it, and didn't take to the stage until the age of twenty...
, OKT / National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Lithuania); - 1999 Shopping and FuckingShopping and FuckingShopping and Fucking is a 1996 play by English playwright Mark Ravenhill. It was Ravenhill's first full-length play. It received its first public reading at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1995...
(play by Mark RavenhillMark RavenhillMark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist.His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking , Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House . He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe...
, OKT); - 1999 A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
("Vasarvidžio nakties sapnas") (play 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"...
, OKT); - 2000 Vienos nakties susitikimas (play by Goran Stefanofski, EU - Culture 2000, THEOREM / Institute of Sweden);
- 2000 Fireface ("Ugnies veidas") (play by Marius von MayenburgMarius von MayenburgMarius von Mayenburg is a German playwright, translator, and also instructor.In 1994, Mayenburg began his studies at Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. His first play, Haarmann, was first performed at Baracke in 1996.Fireface , written in 1997, was his breakthrough as a dramatist...
, OKT); - 2000 The Master and MargaritaThe Master and MargaritaThe Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
("Meistras ir Margarita") (based on novel by Mikhail BulgakovMikhail BulgakovMikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
, adaptation by Sigitas Paruliskis, OKT); - 2001 Klepsidros sanatorija (based on short stories by Bruno Schultz, "Studio" theatre, Warszawa, Poland);
- 2001 Mes ne pyragai (based on writings by Daniil KharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
and Aleksandr VVedenski, Oslo National Drama Theatre, Norway); - 2001 The Parasites ("Parazitai") (play by Marius von MayenburgMarius von MayenburgMarius von Mayenburg is a German playwright, translator, and also instructor.In 1994, Mayenburg began his studies at Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. His first play, Haarmann, was first performed at Baracke in 1996.Fireface , written in 1997, was his breakthrough as a dramatist...
, OKT); - 2002 CraveCrave (play)Crave is a one-act play by British playwright Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1998 by the theatre company Paines Plough, with which Kane was writer-in-residence for the year, at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh...
("Geismas") (play by Sarah KaneSarah KaneSarah Kane was an English playwright. Her plays deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture — both physical and psychological — and death. They are characterised by a poetic intensity, pared-down language, exploration of theatrical form and, in her earlier work, the use of...
, co-directed with Povilas Laurinkus, OKT); - 2002 Oedipus the KingOedipus the KingOedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
("Oidipas karalius") (play by SophoclesSophoclesSophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, OKT); - 2003 Winter (play by Jon FosseJon FosseJon Fosse is a Norwegian author and dramatist.Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway and currently lives in Bergen. He debuted in 1983 with the novel Raudt, svart . His first play, Og aldri skal vi skiljast, was performed and published in 1994. Jon Fosse has written novels, short stories, poetry,...
, Oslo National Drama Theatre / Torshovteatret); - 2003 CleansedCleansedCleansed is the third play by the English playwright Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1998 at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs in London. The play is set in a university which has been converted into some form of bizarre institution under the rule of the sadistic Tinker...
(play by Sarah KaneSarah KaneSarah Kane was an English playwright. Her plays deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture — both physical and psychological — and death. They are characterised by a poetic intensity, pared-down language, exploration of theatrical form and, in her earlier work, the use of...
, Stockholm Royal Drama Theatre, "Elverket" Scene, Sweden); - 2003 The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
("Įstabioji ir graudžioji Romeo ir Džuljetos istorija") (play 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"...
, OKT); - 2003 Vienatvė dviese (play by Sigitas Parulskis, OKT/Festival Les Boreales, CaenCaenCaen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
France); - 2004 The Cold Child ("Šaltas vaikas") (play by Marius von MayenburgMarius von MayenburgMarius von Mayenburg is a German playwright, translator, and also instructor.In 1994, Mayenburg began his studies at Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. His first play, Haarmann, was first performed at Baracke in 1996.Fireface , written in 1997, was his breakthrough as a dramatist...
, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Lithuania); - 2004 Cantio (play by Sharon Lynn Joyce and Vykintas Baltakas, OKT / München Bienále/ Gaida);
- 2005 City ("Miestas") (play by Yevgeni Grishkovets, co-directed with Saulius MykolaitisSaulius MykolaitisSaulius Mykolaitis was a Lithuanian director, actor and singer-songwriter .- Life :Saulius Mykolaitis was born in Ramygala, a small city in Lithuania. His parents died while he was still studying at school...
, OKT); - 2005 Death of Tarelkin (play by A.Suchov-Kobylin, Moscow Theatre "Et-cetera", Russia);
- 2005 Based on a truth Story(play by Almir Imsirevic, Moscow Theatre "Et-cetera", Russia);
- 2005 Vaidinant auką (play by Vladimir Presniakov and Oleg Presniakov, OKT).
- 2006 To DamascusTo DamascusTo Damascus , also known as The Road to Damascus, is a trilogy of plays by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. The first two parts were published in 1898, with the third following in 1904...
(play by August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
, Oslo National Drama Theatre, Norway); - 2006 Grimo opera (play by Birutė Mar, OKT).
Awards
- Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here, 1990, 1991
- Special prize at the Torun International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here), 1991,
- The best director's work at the St. Petersburg International Theatre Festival (plays There to Be Here, The Old Woman 1993,
- Prize at the Sevastopol International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here), 1993,
- Prize of the magazine St. Petersburg Theatre Review (play There to Be Here, 1993
- Prize from the Lithuanian Theatre Union (play Hello Sonya New Year), 1994,
- The Bank of Scotland Herald Angels prize at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival (play Hello Sonya New Year, 1995,
- Lithuanian Theatre association Award Kristoforas for the best young artist (trilogy plays There to Be Here, The Old Woman, Hello Sonya New Year), 1995,
- Special prize at the Riga Theatre Festival (play P.S. File O.K.), 1997,
- Prize at the Torun International Theatre Festival for the best young director (play Old Woman 2), 1998,
- Lithuanian Theatre Award association 'Kristoforas' for the best director (plays Shopping and Fucking and A Midsummer Night's Dream), 2000,
- 2nd award at the Torun International Theatre Festival (play A Midsummer Night's Dream), 2000,
- European Theatre Unions award Europe Theatre Prize for New Theatrical Realities, 2001,
- Best young director prize at the MESS Festival, Sarajevo, (play The Master and Margarita), 2001,
- Young Directors Project Award at Salzburg International Theatre Festival (play Oedipus Rex), 2002,
- The Lithuanian National Prize of Culture and Art (play Oedipus Rex), 2002,
- Critic's prize at the MESS Festival, Sarajevo, (play Oedipus Rex), 2003,
- The Lithuanian Institute award, 2004,
- Lithuanian Theatre Award (plays 'Romeo and Juliet, Cold Child), 2004,
- Mira Trailovic Grand Prix at Belgrade International Theatre Festival (play Romeo and Juliet), 2004.