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– How personal is this performance for you and the creative team?
– I have people in my immediate environment who have fought but not in the war in Afghanistan. Family members of some of the team have returned from the war. However, these issues are not covered, they are not touched by dust.
– At the beginning of the rehearsals, were you looking for a common understanding of the war?
– We talk a lot about it, we share ideas, movies seen, other experiences; we try to understand what it is about. But first we think of the man in war and try to imagine him, to empathize with the brutality and exhaustion of war.
– In acting you mean Zigmas Stankus’ memoir “How to become albinos” and “Mirage”. Do you document the author’s experiences on stage?
– This is our inspiration, but we do not intend to document exactly what that war or that time was. Some of the events of the performance are described in detail in the books of Z. Stankus, some are duplicated and some are concentrated in one. The same goes for the characters. There are three main characters in the play. They are, as it were, second-class attributes of the author to some of his qualities, the characteristics of service friends. All the other characters in the play are glued together from different story details, and a female line has also been introduced.
To understand the period, to have a common understanding of Afghanistan and the events there, we analyze the causes of the war, the objectives of the countries, the consequences, etc. After understanding this, we began to specifically delve into the man and analyze him as a high-handed subordinate. In preparation for the performance, we met with members of the Vilnius Afghan War Veterans Union and the Klaipėda Miražas Afghan War Veterans Organization. We want to meet an authentic person, but we do not seek to recreate personalities or lived circumstances.
– The main actors of the play are young men a little older than those who returned from military service. How do they prepare for the roles?
– Psychologically, it is not easy for the actors. We analyze with what wounds these young people return from the war. Imagine them suffering from insomnia for a day, a week, a month. If you manage to fall asleep, you are haunted by the same nightmare, the same images, a great feeling of guilt for what you did in the war or simply because you survived. Actors look for what they personally feel guilty about, what they haven’t done, what they would like to correct, where they would like to go back, what they can no longer do, and exacerbate those feelings at least a few times.
– Is this a male performance?
– It may sound a bit sexist, but war is a very masculine issue. And this is a negative thing, because it is the extreme cruelty of humanity that manifests itself through the male experience. There are not many scenes of war or cruelty in the play. I’m more interested in the experience of going back to living a normal life after returning from that cruelty.
– And what is the function of the female line?
– While reading the Z.Stankus books, it was necessary to turn them over and try to understand how a person can survive in such circumstances. And it’s not just about the atrocities of war, it’s about the entire military system. Therefore, a female line appeared in the performance, which is next to her and like a sponge absorbs the experiences of a loved one. It is true that this line is fiction.
– But you also absorbed the work of Z. Stankus and his war experiences for a long time.
– I read the book “How to become an albino” when its 2008 edition was reprinted. And she stuck with me with a certain sense, visual, sound, style.
– What could be the first two weeks after returning home from service?
– Someone may be eating in moderation, crying with tears of joy or sadness, sleeping in their bed for a long time, and someone may simply not understand the change in circumstances. I think there can be many different scenarios. While on duty, he dreams of meeting friends, waiting for a girl, parents, relatives, going to his favorite places or going where he has not been before. But when he comes back, things look different. In acting, we ask the question: can he come back?
– And how do you respond?
– Yes, the three characters return, but unconsciously they choose completely different return scenarios.
– The return to civilian life can also be hampered by the change in values.
– It may be too simple a comparison, but when you return to the city after a month on a farm, life seems created and unreal. Everyone is in a hurry somewhere, they have so much to do that even the smell of the city becomes unacceptable. And then you realize that it’s not just about that. In a war situation, material things become irrelevant, because life here is your life and that of the person around you. And when he returns to civilian life, he sees people who have forgotten the fragility of life, who have forgotten the risk of losing their lives and who live in artificial worries. But after all, the greatest value is that I am alive.
– In situations where you are at the base and you do not know if tomorrow you will go to fight in the mountains, can you spend a day more calmly in a tent where happiness can be found?
– In most cases, it is backed by the memory of where it came from and the knowledge that when it is all over, it will go back to where it is right. I think it is also very important to maintain a good sense of humor at that time. Like Z. Stankus in his books, a soldier is shot, but falls so beautifully from a cliff.
– You have mentioned many times that if you had not entered acting studies, you would have gone to study at a military academy. What to think about such a decision now?
– The love of the country, the appreciation for history, culture, the nation are very important. But when you look at it through the prism of service and evaluate the entire apparatus, it becomes an extreme measure. An armed response to a conflict or disagreement should be the last resort. There is more to prove before launching the aggression. I can guess what it would be like if it were, but I’m so happy to be here.
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