Holy Frost

Shortly after the American Civil War, a group of suspicious characters get stranded at a remote roadside inn during a blizzard. Among them are Chris Mannix, the new sheriff on his way to town; the outlaw Daisy Domergue; John Ruth, known as “the Hangman,” who is taking her in to collect the bounty; and a group of strangers. Thrown together by fate, the travelers carefully conceal their identities, connections to one another and true intentions, creating tension and mortal danger for everyone trapped there. Will anyone survive the freezing night?

The collaboration between Aleksandras Špilevojus and rock band Colours of Bubbles at Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre was inspired by the director’s and musicians’ shared love of Quentin Tarantino’s work. A. Špilevojus says that while learning about the filmmaker, he discovered that one of his favourite films, The Hateful Eight, had nearly been abandoned after its screenplay was leaked. Filming was called off, but to ensure the work would not go to waste, readings were held at a theatre in Los Angeles. After receiving exceptionally positive feedback, the filmmaker decided to return to making the film. “When I learned about this story, I realised how much I would like to see a play like that in a theatre. Since I’m not sure whether Q. Tarantino will ever bring this idea to life, I decided to create the play myself,” A. Špilevojus says with a laugh.

“With the actors, we discover in this material not America or the nineteenth century, but ourselves, our time, our country, our problems, the questions that matter to us and our unfulfilled hopes. Holy Frost is no longer a Q. Tarantino film; it is a story about human beings that we are creating. Q. Tarantino set himself the task of creating a tragicomic story with not a single positive hero. I don’t mean that all people on Earth are bad, but we have to admit that we are far from saintly. So in this play we will see sinful humanity confronting the brightest ideas of humanism, love and freedom. I wonder which will ultimately prevail?” says the director.

Reviews of the play: “Across the Theatre Threshold into the Wild West”; “Aušra Kaminskaitė: Tarantino’s Intrigue Triumphs Over the Magic of Theatre.”

The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. Sponsor: Bisas restaurant.