Klaipėda Youth Theatre: PREMIERE! “I Pretend I’m Asleep” (dir. G. Grinevičiūtė)

When do we say “NO,” and when do we stay silent? And why is it sometimes easier to pretend to be asleep than to acknowledge what really happened? “I Pretend I’m Asleep” is a new premiere by Klaipėda Youth Theatre, directed by Greta Grinevičiūtė. The performance explores familiar situations we have heard about or witnessed many times, where the outlines of boundaries blur, leaving more questions than answers. Exploring themes of embodiment, sexuality and personal space, the performance turns to situations in which we fail to notice that we are crossing someone else’s boundaries, fail to recognise our own, or cannot find a way to say “no” clearly. And sometimes—to apologise. Situations in which silence can be self-protection, fear, or a convenient way to avoid responsibility. In which, consciously or unconsciously, we choose to pretend we are asleep. That we do not see, hear or understand. That nothing happened. “I Pretend I’m Asleep” does not seek unequivocal answers or someone to blame. Rather, it invites us to look at the complex relationships between people and ask: what happens when we pretend to be asleep for so long that eventually we can no longer wake up?

CREATIVE TEAM:
Director – Greta Grinevičiūtė
Playwright – Birutė Kapustinskaitė
Set designer – Kotryna Balčiūnaitė Budrienė
Composer – Manuel Velázquez
Video – Domas Petronis
Lighting designer – Povilas Laurinaitis
Director’s assistant – Jurgita Rudėnaitė

CAST:
Marija Žemaitytė
Asta Zacharovaitė
Donatas Stakėnas
Simas Lunevičius
Rugilė Latvėnaitė
Laima Akstinaitė
Gabija Bargailaitė

Premiere sponsor: Kronenbourg non-alcoholic.