The Island That Does Not Exist

For the first time in the history of Panevėžys theatre, Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre and Panevėžys Musical Theatre are joining forces to tell the story of the legendary theatre figure Juozas Miltinis and the beginnings of the theatre he created. The performance at Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre features live music performed by the Panevėžys Musical Theatre Orchestra.

Today, the names of Juozas Miltinis, Donatas Banionis, Vaclovas Blėdis, Eugenija Šulgaitė, Regina Zdanavičiūtė and other legends of Panevėžys theatre are part of Lithuania’s cultural golden treasury. Yet few know how it all began: how the founders of Panevėžys theatre lived during their first years of creative work, how they became actors, how they survived the Second World War, and how the theatre they cherished took shape. They regarded it as a sanctuary of art and an island where they could find refuge from external political pressure, cultural bleakness and financial hardship.

The story of the very beginnings of Panevėžys theatre is entwined with many myths and legends. It is said that when the young actors and their teacher, Juozas Miltinis, arrived in Panevėžys, they were housed in a monastery on Marijonų Street, where they truly began to live like monks devoted to art: giving themselves entirely to art and constant learning, with no right to start families, mix with the outside world or have fun. Everything was shared—their living quarters, food and money, as well as all their hardships and joys. Not everyone could endure it, but those who did became legends.

The creators of the performance decided to look back at those difficult years of the theatre’s formation and invite audiences to explore together the myth of young, passionate idealists ready to sacrifice their lives for great art, which they saw as an island of the world’s essence. An island that does not exist. An island they created through self-sacrifice so they would not be lost or sink into the reality of everyday life that weighed them down and suffocated them.

The performance features live music performed by the Panevėžys Musical Theatre Orchestra. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

In 2022, Albinas Kėleris was nominated for a Golden Stage Cross in the Actor category for his role as the Maestro in the performance “The Island That Does Not Exist”. In 2022, composer Mantvydas Leonas Pranulis won a Golden Stage Cross for the music for “The Island That Does Not Exist”.

Reviews of the performance: Aušra Kaminskaitė, “A Performance About Miltinis Skillfully Avoids Taking a More Open Position” – LRT; “Holy Magic in Contemporary Theatre” (7md.lt); “Only Miltinis Can Drive Miltinis Out” – Menų faktūra (menufaktura.lt); Jūratė Visockaitė, “The Island That Was” (literaturairmenas.lt); Daiva Šabasevičienė, “The Island That Is. Miltinis at the Miltinis Theatre” – “Vilniaus galerija”.

About the performance: “My Struggle” – Menų faktūra (menufaktura.lt); “My Struggle” – Menų faktūra (menufaktura.lt) (in English).