White Tales

“White Tales” is a shadow theatre performance based on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Choosing this rare form of puppet theatre in our day, director Nijolė Indriūnaitė and artist Aušra Bagočiūnaitė Paukštienė created a transparent and luminous performance that brings to life the paper-cutting traditions of Lithuanians and other European peoples. For the poetic play, N. Indriūnaitė drew on three Christmas tales by H. C. Andersen: “The Little Match Girl,” “The Fir Tree,” and “The Snowman.” In this lyrical shadow performance, the director asks the audience what a celebration is and what it means to us. We each understand celebration in our own way... But how do the lonely little Girl and the felled forest Fir Tree experience it? Theatre critic Audronė Girdzijauskaitė wrote about the performance: “That day, the shadow theatre performance—which has no well-established traditions in Lithuania—seemed perfect to me in the small hall of “Lėlė”: the proportions of the objects, the grace of the silhouettes, the lighting, the clarity of the language and lyrical tone (sentimentality was avoided!), the rhythms of movement and changes of image, and the subtle acting style of performers Almira Grybauskaitė and Elvyra Piškinaitė moved me to tears. This is a performance that can be shown to everyone, everywhere.” (“A Restless March, or Thoughtless Everyday Life,” “Literatūra ir menas,” 2007-03-16)