The Lonesome West
Skvotas | 2025
The video projection in “The Lonesome West” functions as an emotional counterpoint to the onstage action – it begins to appear around the middle of the performance, dreamily revealing a layer of childhood memories shared by the two brothers, Coleman and Valene. These images are constructed entirely from real archival home video footage collected from various individuals.
The creative process was rooted in extensive archival research: home-video archives were sourced and selected, capturing everyday life, games, family gatherings, and domestic details. Through editing and music, these fragments were reassembled into a new narrative – imagined memories of the two brothers.
Together with composer Dominykas Digimas, we continue exploring the relationship between sound and image, using music as a transitional device between layers of time. Diegetic and non-diegetic sound merge, with music subtly guiding the shifts between reality and memory.
Creative Team:
Director – Artiom Rybakov
Composer – Dominykas Digimas
Scenography – random heroes
Costume designer – Dovilė Gudačiauskaitė
Video artist – Kristijonas Dirsė
Lighting designer – Edgaras Varkulevičius
Cast:
Aleksas Kazanavičius, Laurynas Jurgelis, Greta Petrovskytė, Karolis Kasperavičius / Lukas Malinauskas
Martin McDonagh’s play The Lonesome West is a darkly humorous tale of two brothers living in a remote village. Following the suspicious death of their father—initially presented as an accident—long-buried grievances, relentless arguments, and the fragile nature of their relationship come to the surface.
Colmen and Valin inhabit a world where love and care have been replaced by anger, mistrust, and revenge. Valin is consumed by material wealth and rigid rules, while Colmen seeks solace in chaos and self-destruction. Though their conflicts often seem trivial, they mask deep emotional wounds. The only attempt at reconciliation—led by the priest Welsh—ends in tragedy, exposing the play’s central themes of forgiveness, human connection, and the roots of violence.
Infused with McDonagh’s signature black humor and tragic irony, The Lonesome West delves into the darker corners of human nature—shame, inner turmoil, and the ever-present shadow of violence. Echoing the biblical story of Cain and Abel, the play not only confronts human frailty but also explores timeless questions of faith, purpose, and the meaning of relationships.
Blending darkness with humor, The Lonesome West transforms life’s tragedies into an exploration of what it means to be human. It is both painfully raw and bitingly funny—offering a poignant, unforgettable reflection on the fragile bonds that connect us.