Festival X Opens LNOBT Stage to Young Creators

The Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT) has opened its doors for the first time to a new event, "Festival X," designed to welcome emerging artists into the world of theatre. LNOBT General Director Laima Vilimienė stated that the festival aims to foster new ideas and art where different worlds intersect. She noted the current era of uncertainty but encouraged artists to create from unconventional perspectives, emphasizing that new viewpoints and forms emerge when one looks at the world from a different angle.

The festival showcased two distinct interpretations of the second act finale of Wolfgang A. Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro." One production, directed by Gabrielė Česevičiūtė, reimagined the opera's characters in a courtroom setting. Another, directed by Gabrielė Tumaitė, placed the action in a locker room. The LNOBT orchestra performed these opera sketches under the baton of Raimonda Skabeikaitė, with a cast including Mindaugas Tomas Miškinis and Joana Gedmintaitė.

A long-standing LNOBT tradition, "Creative Impulse," presented four choreographic miniatures by young choreographers: Edvinas Jakonis, Jonas Bernardas Kertenis, Imogen Holly Moss, and Miryam Roca Cruz. These ballet performances were supported by lighting designers Andrius Ringevičius, Adrianas Jacunovas, and Jaunius Zaturskis. The dancers featured included Gabrielė Dukel, Saulė Jauniškytė, and Arata Yamamoto, among others.

In addition to performances, "Festival X" hosted three discussions in the Theatre's Chamber Hall, attracting large audiences. Composer Marija Paškevičiūtė, historian Kristina Petrauskė, and choreographer Martynas Rimeikis discussed the perception of opera and ballet as elite art forms, arguing they are accessible to a wider audience. Other participants included opera singer Regina Šilinskaitė, ballet dancer Edvinas Jakonis, and philosopher Laurynas Peluritis.

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We opened the doors of LNOBT for the first time to a new event – "Festival X." We invited [people] to enter the world of theatre – and to bring their own with them. Because it is precisely where different worlds meet that new ideas, new questions, and new art are born. We live in a time when it seems the world is constantly turning upside down, and uncertainty has become the norm. But the artist has a special gift – they don't have to wait for the world to right itself again. If the world has turned upside down – turn upside down yourself, stand on your hands, and create. Look at it from a different angle. This is precisely how new perspectives, new forms, and works that change our vision are born.