Augustas Gornatkevičius

Country: Lithuania

National Kaunas Drama Theatre

Biography

Augustas Gornatkevičius was born on July 31, 1994, in Vilnius. In 2018, he completed his bachelor’s degree in theater directing (course leaders Jonas Vaitkus and Agnius Jankevičius), and in 2020, his master’s degree (course leader Yana Ross) at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. He has directed plays at various theaters in Lithuania.

Concept of the Performance:

Staged for the first time in Lithuania, Ipsen’s play gracefully, effortlessly, and humorously presents a modern take on Shakespeare’s Juliet, plagued by the problems faced by many of us today. What happens when you can truly trust only one person in the world? How do you navigate relationship crises and feelings of insecurity? Suddenly, the protagonist begins to experience strange things that are familiar to all of us, and the line between dreams and reality gradually blurs.

Do you feel under constant surveillance? Do you feel marginalised if your views differ from those of the majority? How do we know if the stories we hear are true? Could The Double lurk somewhere nearby, ready to take over your life?

Premiere on 7–9 February 2025

More about the performance: https://dramosteatras.lt/en/shows/antrininkas/

Artistic Statement :

The work speaks about today, about the everyday relationships between people, yet it also carries an epic quality by addressing fundamental questions about the structure of the world. At the center of the play is a young modern couple, and there is not just one but several doubles. The theme of the double is familiar from classical works, as well as the writings of the founders of psychoanalysis. In popular culture, it is perhaps best revealed in the film Fight Club. These are often works in which fiction and reality intersect. It is particularly relevant today. I admit, I had doubts about whether it was ethical to tell such a story. Still, that very doubt encouraged me to create, because I believe we need to cross the lines that currently divide the world. Sometimes, when I watch the news, read the paper, or watch television, I find myself wondering whether what I see is fiction or reality. And in the play, it is said: ‘What is in your imagination is not necessarily unreal.’ To me, the main characters of this story resemble contemporary Romeo and Juliet, prevented from being together by today’s fragmentation and alienation.