The drama "Patriots", written in 1926 and staged in the same year at the State Theater (Kaunas) by the legendary director Boris Dauguvietis, did not remain in the repertoire for long because the officials did not like it. Actor Balys Lukošius, who renamed the comedy "Excellences" in 1954, was an amateur production. The drama was also used as a script for an LRT movie in 1980. The last production on the stage of the theater in 2008 earned director Jonis Vaitkas the Golden Stage Cross. And in the winter of 2016, the premiere of the dramatist, journalist and screenwriter Mindaugas Nastaravičius's film - the comedy "Patriots" based on the play of the same name by Petros Vaičiūns "Patriots" - will be presented in Lithuanian cinemas.
2016 marks exactly 90 years since the play was written and first performed. The most interesting thing is that the situation has not changed much since the situation in post-war Lithuania. Only the names of the parties and institutions and the names of the anti-heroes have changed. And today, people resent corrupt officials, pseudo-patriotic government, laws with loopholes that allow bribery and abuse to flourish. A modern interpretation, the recognizability of the characters would allow the viewer not only to laugh, but also awaken the civic conscience.
Director Aidas Giniotis does not reveal much, but says that the play will be quite different, even drastic, a little sad, a little witty. It will be aimed at adults, ie. suitable for persons aged 14 and over.