“Pizdukas”. Photo by D. Matvejev

The actor and director Paulius Ignatavičius (b. 1984) obtained a BA in theatre directing from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2008, followed by an MA in 2010. Having debuted on the professional theatre stage in 2007, the director has created almost 20 theatre productions and played as many roles in the theatre and cinema. In 2016, Ignatavičius became artistic director of the Šiauliai State Drama Theatre.

Ignatavičius’ repertoire is particularly diverse. This director tends to choose works by modern classics (Franz Kafka, Wolfgang Borchert) and contemporary foreign writers (Ewald Palmetshofer, Vladimir Sorokin, Marius von Mayenburg, and others), as well as collaborates with young Lithuanian theatre writers such as Mindaugas Nastaravičius and Andrius Jevsejevas.

One of Ignatavičius’ latest works is Pizdukas (Katzelmacher, 2019, a co-production with the theatre studio Theaomai and Teatras π), staged at the OKT / Vilnius City Theatre. In this performance, based on the play Katzelmacher by the avant-garde German playwright, director and actor Reiner Werner Fassbinder, the director returns to the subject of migrants for the second time, this time choosing the form of a social comedy with elements of a rock concert. The action of the performance takes place in a small town in the Lithuanian province, where the appearance of an economic emigrant provokes the full range of stereotypical reactions and social grievances. Excellent live music played by the band Church on Wheels that got formed at the Šiauliai State Drama Theatre adds variety to this exploration of an important social theme and maintains the fun pace of the performance.

paulius.ignatavicius@vsdt.lt

www.vsdt.lt