https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Tarybu\u0328-Lietuva-Nr.-36.-1974-m.-Rez\u030c.-Bytaute\u0307-Paje\u0307diene\u0307-operatoriai-Petras-Abukevic\u030cius-Antanas-Blyz\u030ca.-Lietuvos-centrinis-valstybe\u0307s-archyvas.-A.-t.-LKC.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\nIn this sense, the building of the current Kaunas State Musical Theatre (1892) played an exceptional role. Built based on a project of an architect of the Kaunas province of Tsarist Russia, it was intended for the city\u2019s Russian-speaking community, a significant part of which were war officers. Special loggias were installed in the theatre for the highest officials, and the origins of the theatre itself are tied to the committee established by the governor to \u201csupport and develop the activities of Russian drama in Kaunas\u201d. However, today nobody remembers so much of the initial, original stage of the theatre, but of the Interwar period, when this building became the most important cultural and, in part, political life stage of the Republic of Lithuania. This is best described by the name of the institution at that time \u2013 the State Theatre. The changed role of the theatre was confirmed by two major reconstructions of the building in the 1920s and 1930s, during which, among other parts, the main fa\u00e7ade and the auditorium where changed. The history of the theatre seems to have repeated the transformation of Kaunas itself from a military fortress city to the capital of a new state.
\nDuring the Soviet occupation, the State Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour of the Lithuanian SSR was built, or, according to the usual tradition of abbreviating names at that time, \u201cthe SOBTORBL\u201d. To this day, it is the largest and most decorated theatre in the country. Assessing the exceptional architecture of this building \u2013 in 2021 the theatre was included in the Register of Real Cultural Property \u2013 it is important to understand the ideological weight given to this palace at that time. The opening of the theatre is associated with the celebration of the October Revolution, and the first operas built especially for the new palace speak for themselves: Klova’s \u201cAve vita\u201d, which tells the story of the life of the poet Julius Janonis, and Borodin’s \u201cDuke Igor\u201d, which tells the story of the struggles that formed the Russian nation. On the other hand, the construction of the theatre was initiated outside Moscow, constantly manoeuvring and trying not to arouse suspicion on the part of the central government. In December 1989, at the theatre palace, the Lithuanian Communist Party, the first among USSR republics, seceded from the Soviet Communist Party.
\nThe events of history can be arranged into one kind of a story or another, but it is difficult to deny that there is a dramatic reflection of the history of Lithuania in the development of these great theatres.<\/p>\n
A Functional Balance<\/h3>\n
Despite the fact that Lithuanian theatres were built under different political and historical circumstances, their layout, structure and functional changes are primarily a reflection of the development of global theatre architecture. The old Kaunas City Theatre (1892) was initially just an auditorium with several surrounding rooms and a stage. In the Big Theatre (1902) in Vilnius, which was located in one of the buildings of a large hotel, the auditorium occupied about two-thirds, and the square stage room was served through one single corridor and a few offices. The Polish Theatre (1913) in Vilnius, built a couple of decades later, is already showing a clear change in the layout of its functions. The auditorium is similar to the one of Kaunas Theatre, only its corridors are wider, but the \u201cinvisible\u201d technical part of the building is already more alike to a separate and independent structure. The scene expanded to the sides and depth, staff rooms were arranged over 4 floors on both sides. At the beginning of the 20th century, the expanding technical part of theatres gradually became close to the size of the audience space.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/KaunoMuzikinisTeatras-42-1-900x600.jpg\")
Kauno muzikinis teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
The most significant change in the „invisible” part took place with the establishment of a modern design based on a convenient layout of functions and safe working conditions. The old Kaunas theatres was expanded (1925, 1931) with 4 spacious wings with bright decoration, costume workshops, performers, administration and various other premises. A similar growth of the technical part is characteristic of \u0160iauliai Theatre (1941), which was built according to the adapted and supplemented cinema project, and the backstage parts were significantly expanded again in 1978, introducing workshops, warehouses and other necessary premises.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Rusu\u0328DramosTeatras-18-1-900x600.jpg\")
Lietuvos rus\u0173 dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
In the first half of the 20th century, the so-called Wagnerian revolution reached Lithuanian theatres too. The example of the Bayreuth Theatre (1876) was followed, in which the most important and largest part of the building was dedicated to the stage and the premises serving it. The peculiar competitive tension between the ever-modernizing, sophisticated technical part of the theatres and the ornate part for the audience has probably been encoded in the structure of the theatre itself since the Renaissance. In the 20th century, the opposite relationship between these parts became established \u2013 the scenic part usually became larger. The natural duality of the theatre is probably best revealed at the Opera and Ballet Theatre (1974) in Vilnius \u2013 sophisticated, innovative equipment and the largest stage in Lithuania so far, as if on scales with a set of an extremely ornate foyer, auditorium and balconies, aiming to keep up and maintain that symbolic balance.<\/p>\n
The Theatrical Ritual<\/h3>\n
On the 18th century onwards, the public theatre began to form the culture of theatre-goers. It consisted of a set of actions that included preparation, going to the theatre, the entrance, climbing the stairs, the communication, snacks and drinks involving entertainment, and only a certain part of the ritual was devoted to the theatrical process itself on stage. Naturally, the architecture of the theatre repeated the essential steps of this process, creating suitable spaces for it. At the end of the 19th century, the tradition began to decline, influenced both by the cardinal concept of the Bayreuth Theatre (1876) and by the theatre as such itself, which was increasingly becoming a culture of mass consumption. To this day, however, the theatrical ritual is not forgotten, and its newly interpreted elements can also be traced in modern theatre buildings.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/KaunoMuzikinisTeatras-5-1-900x600.jpg\")
Kauno Valstybinis muzikinis teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
One of the theatre spaces that suffered this change the most is the foyer. Both the Kaunas City Theatre and the Polish Theatre in Vilnius are still very ornate separate halls with high ceilings, richly decorated, located in the centre of the building, just above the entrance area. Such a foyer is reminiscent of the history of a theatre building developed from the structure of the palace. The tradition is still followed in the \u0160iauliai Theatre, which was started during the interwar period, only the room itself has lost its luxury and decorations. Due to the lack of research, the structure and interior of the old Klaip\u0117da Theatre (1857) are not known. One can guess that the old foyer was supposed to be in place of the current second floor hall. It is also unclear how these spaces changed during the reconstruction of the 1930s, as the entire interior of the building was demolished at the end of the Soviet era.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/KaunoMuzikinisTeatras-44-1-900x600.jpg\")
Kauno Valstybinis muzikinis teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
The reconstruction of the State Theatre in Kaunas in 1931 is a characteristic example of this. One of the small side foyers was greatly expanded, combining several rooms and designing a new wide staircase to the second floor. An open space extending over several floors was formed next to the symmetrical, closed elite halls \u2013 the changes in the society of that time can be read in the architecture. Since the 1930s, a new type of open foyer was established in the architecture of Lithuanian theatres, merging with corridor and stairwell spaces.
\nBasically, the foyer of the Panev\u0117\u017eys Theater (1968) was built in the usual place \u2013 in front of the hall, only here there is no longer a division between the corridors and the stairs \u2013 \u00a0everything is combined in a high and open room. Such a space gives visitors more freedom to choose the trajectory of their movement, as well as new visual connections appear. The dismantled traditional ritual seems to flow into the cloakroom, promenade and cafe spaces.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Evolution of Styles<\/h3>\n
The only thing that has still remained to this day from the oldest theatre in Lithuania \u2013 the \u00a0Klaip\u0117da Theatre (1857) is the shell of its outer walls \u2013 they acquired their current appearance in 1895. Its historicist fa\u00e7ade overlooking the square creates the impression of false symmetry, as it has a main entrance on its left and a stage on its right. The fa\u00e7ade here is like a mask, creating the exterior of a harmonious and solemn building. Similarly to the fa\u00e7ade of the burnt-down Big Theatre (1902) in Vilnius, which was the same as the nearby hotel\u2019s, telling a separate story from the interior.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Klaipe\u0307dosDramosTeatras-60-1-900x600.jpg\")
Klaip\u0117dos dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
The fa\u00e7ade of the Polish Theatre (1913), partly still historicist, but mostly modernist, is the first to \u201ctalk\u201d about what parts of the building roam behind it, no longer masking the exterior that has nothing to do with the interior. The composition of the parts of the building becomes more important than the decorations of a two-dimensional fa\u00e7ade, and the architecture itself begins approaching the realms of sculpture.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Paneve\u0307z\u030cioTeatras-1-nepanaudota-1-900x600.jpg\")
Juozo Miltinio dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
Three-dimensional modelling in Lithuania was especially developed by post-war modernism. In Panev\u0117\u017eys Theatre (1968), in general, there is almost no single dominant plane \u2013 \u00a0the building is created by a set of fa\u00e7ades connected in an angle, of which the stage box cube is an integral part. It is no longer a technical adherence, but an important part of a balanced composition.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/KaunoDramosTeatras-21-1-900x600.jpg\")
Nacionalinis Kauno dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
Few decades later, we are running out of such free design in space. The search for constraints in rediscovered historic architecture has begun again. The current National Drama Theatre (1981) in Vilnius still speaks modernism, but the content of its architecture itself is in the deepest sense closer to what is called postmodernism or whatever followed modernism. The theatre building fills the space between the city\u2019s historic buildings. The most important thing here are not the volumes, not their composition, not even creating an impression, but the history of the city, Vilnius courtyards and the old \u201cLutnia\u201d theatre, which is told through this architecture. Similarly, the annex of Klaip\u0117da Theatre (1990), which paraphrases the old fa\u00e7ade, is no longer just a wall. It also combines the imprint of German theatre with other meanings created by the symbol of the arch coming from the past.
\nModern reconstructions of Kaunas Drama Theatre and National Drama Theatre in Vilnius (taking place since 2003 and 2018, respectively) reveal new fields of thinking. The theatres feature previously unused spaces on the upper floors, terraces on the roofs, and the extensive use of elevators in the design.<\/p>\n
The Theatre Belongs to the City<\/h3>\n
In the 18th century, theatres which separated themselves from palaces became a symbol of urban life and a dominant of public spaces. The Berlin Opera (1741) is the first stand-alone theatre in Europe. The oldest in Lithuania, the Klaip\u0117da Theatre, is a continuation of this city theatre tradition. Prior to its reconstruction, it occupied a compact quarter of the city, bypassed on all sides, with the main fa\u00e7ade facing the square. The old Kaunas City Theatre was built in a similar way \u2013 yet not in a square, but in its depths.
\nInstead of the theatre-dominant, which faces the square, the environment of Kaunas Theatre is more reminiscent of a garden made for a quiet walk and the entertainment of the officers outside the city centre. A similar connection with the environment is typical of the old Polish theatre in Vilnius, built in the Pohulanka (meaning the promenade) area with a small square for carriages.
\nThe old Neoclassical model, where the theatre faces a wide space and becomes recognizable in the context of the fabric of the whole city, has remained relevant even in modern theatres. Both \u0160iauliai and Panev\u0117\u017eys, as well as the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius look at the open spaces of the city. The greater the theatre, the greater the square or square in front of it, which makes the building exceptional, creating a stage for the participants of the theatrical ritual. The major theatres \u2013 Opera and Ballet, Panev\u0117\u017eys \u2013 participate not only in the structure of the quarter, but also in the structure of the whole city. Their stage boxes rise high above the surrounding houses, and the spaces in front of them become part of the daily lives of the townspeople.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KaunoDramosTeatras-27-1-600x900.jpg\")
Nacionalinis Kauno dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
However, this is not the only possible relationship between the theatre and the city. Minor theatres were also built in quite opposite spaces \u2013 in the depths of blocks. Almost invisible from the avenue, the \u201cLutnia\u201d Theatre in Vilnius or the Metropolitain Cinema in Kaunas were built. The former later grew into the National Drama Theatre, the latter became the Kaunas State Drama Theatre. From stages made fully for entertainment, they had the honour of becoming the two most important drama theatres in these cities. After the reconstruction of the old cinema in Kaunas, the main fa\u00e7ade (1956) was moved from the depths of the block to the main front of Laisv\u0117s Alley. The uniqueness of the theatre creates a recessed entrance space. The same motif \u2013 \u00a0an in-depth entrance with sculptures above it \u2013 is found in the Vilnius Theatre (1981). Only here the fa\u00e7ade itself is not there any longer \u2013 just a pulled-back space and sculptures remain. The theatre itself is hidden from the city, and only the entrance on the side of the fa\u00e7ade invites you to enter and discover the intimate world of theatre.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KaunoMuzikinisTeatras-1-1-900x600.jpg\")
Valstybinis Kauno muzikinis teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/LietuvosNacionalinisDramosteatras-34-1-900x600.jpg\")
Lietuvos nacionalinis dramos teatras (2021 m.) Aut. Martynas Plepys<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Untold Story The uniqueness of theatre is such, that it is a fusion that unites all the arts, in which architecture plays a fundamental part \u2013 and that is why it seems invisible. Cognition of theatre spaces is the basis of the phenomenon of theatre itself and is the foundation of the deeper understanding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":24,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-362","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1280,"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/362\/revisions\/1280"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teatraspastatas.lithuaniantheatre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}