The space in which theatre is born is the imagination of the spectator. The physical stage is only the beginning, the starting point that leads to an intangible and infinite territory of memory, experience and habits. This year's Vilnius International Theatre Festival "Sirens" proposes to look back at what space means in contemporary theatre, and how it is created by the people who participate in the live performance, each bringing their own thoughts and contexts. The largest theatre festival in the country, organised by the Theatre Information Centre and Vilnius Festivals, will take place for the twenty-first time from 25 September to 13 October
"Although we thought of space as a stage and the environment that surrounds us when we were designing the programme, the selected performances have dictated that the most natural space for theatrical existence is the labyrinths of our consciousness and unconscious. We will invite the audience to wander through them in search of answers to the questions that trouble us every day, related to the planet we live on, the city that provides us with a safe haven, and our inner spaces," said Kristina Savickienė, the festival's artistic director.
The festival's international programme will be opened by a young, but already acclaimed, duo of documentary theatre makers from Belgium. Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereereere live the ideas of sustainability and encourage to take environmental issues seriously. They are also making changes in their daily lives for a more sustainable world, by giving up air travel in favour of land or water transport. This year, Sirens presents two documentary performances from an environmental trilogy created by Belgian artists to address the problems caused by mining.