Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, 2020
Marius Repšys is one of the most well-known actors of the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. In recent years, Repšys has appeared not only on stage and screen as an actor, but also in public discourse as someone openly sharing his struggles with mental health – including depression and episodes of psychosis that have followed him since childhood.
Is artistic talent intertwined with mental illness? Can acting – and creativity in general – be both empowering and damaging? And if so, how can that damage be reduced? Should it be reduced?
The performance concludes with a powerful cinematic epilogue that shifts the action entirely onto a large screen. We see Marius wandering through the deserted corridors of a psychiatric hospital, led by disembodied voices and layered sounds. In a dim room, he finds himself face to face with a television showing fragmented images of his past selves—blurring the lines between memory, imagination, and identity.
This sequence was conceived and produced as a short film. It was shot in an abandoned hospital, transformed into a psychiatric ward with the help of the theatre’s technical team and a small film crew. Many of the extras are National Theatre staff members.
More than a scenographic detail, the projection serves as a narrative extension—deepening the play’s exploration of mental health, self-perception, and the thin boundary between life and performance.
Director — Mantas JANČIAUSKAS
Dramaturg — Rimantas RIBAČIAUSKAS
Set Designer — Barbora SKABURSKĖ
Composer — Mantvydas Leonas PRANULIS
Video Projections — Kristijonas DIRSĖ
Assistant Director — Rokas LAŽAUNYKAS
