An 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 treasury. Yet few know how it all began: how the founders of Panevėžys Theatre lived in their first years of creative work, how they became actors, how they endured 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 barrenness and financial hardship.

This 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 the monastery on Marijonų Street, where they began living like true monks of the arts: wholly devoted to art and constant learning, with no right to start families, socialise with the outside world or have fun. Everything was shared—their living quarters, food, money, every hardship and every joy. Not everyone could endure it, but those who did became legends.

The creators of the performance decided to look back at those difficult years in which the theatre was taking shape, 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 perish or drown in the reality of everyday life that weighed on 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 “An Island That Does Not Exist”. In 2022, composer Mantvydas Leonas Pranulis won a Golden Stage Cross for the music for “An Island That Does Not Exist”.

Reviews of the performance: Aušra Kaminskaitė, “A Performance About Miltinis Masterfully Avoids a More Explicit Position” – LRT; “Sacred 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).