Far Away
Vilnius Old Theatre | 2025
“Far Away” invites audiences to experience Vilnius Old Theatre like never before – through its own memories, brought to life in sound, space, and image. The piece is built from archival voices, recorded stories, and field recordings, unfolding across the theatre’s lesser-seen spaces. It culminates in an immersive video scene that turns the stage into a portal through time.
As the spectator reaches the main stage, the curtain rises. Archive footage flickers to life: glimpses of past performances, actors behind the scenes, passersby outside the building. Set to original music by Mantvydas Pranulis, this meditative sequence slowly rewinds time. The chandelier above a solitary viewer becomes a pivot point, ushering in the second visual movement: blueprints disassemble into particles, reassemble into a 3D scan of the building, then scatter again into a shapeless cloud.
The video was created through a two-part process. First, archival footage was sourced and edited into a layered, hypnotic montage. For the second part, photogrammetry was used to capture the building with a drone. This scan served as the foundation for a 3D animation developed in Cinema 4D and Element 3D (After Effects), allowing the theatre to appear, transform, and dissolve in space.
Creative Team:
Director – Mantas Jančiauskas
Playwright – Lina Laura Švedaitė
Composer – Mantvydas Leonas Pranulis
Stage Designer – Ona Juciūtė
Video Artist – Kristijonas Dirsė
Lighting Designer – Julius Kuršys
Programmer – Robertas Dumpis
Director’s Assistant – Andrius Darela
Production Manager – Matas Makauskas
Standing atop Jonas Basanavičius Street, the theatre looms like a slumbering mammoth or a centaur caught in the twists and turns of eras, history and ever-shifting political landscape. In this performance, the building awakes to tell stories about itself and, in a sense, about you. We invite you to have a listen. Expect to be surprised. All five senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste – will be activated. You will become the theatre, its history and the centaur – and they, in turn, will become you.
Vilnius Old Theatre was constructed between 1912 and 1914 in what was once Pohulianka Street. The venture was spearheaded by Hipolit Korwin-Milewski, Countess Klementyna Tyszkiewicz, the publisher and intellectual Feliks Zawadzki, and Mieczysław Bogdanowicz, with funds donated by local residents. Though theatres of a similar kind abounded in early 20th-century Europe, this venue stands out in Lithuania: one of the country’s oldest, it now marks 111 years of activity. Over the years, artistic influences from Polish, Lithuanian and Russian traditions have intertwined here. As a result, these walls have heard nearly every language spoken in Vilnius. This theatre a living fragment of the city and the nation’s history – its very DNA.
Each spectator explores the theatre alone, navigating its nooks and passages independently. A virtual guide, headphones and technology will ensure that you do not lose your way. There is definitely an exit at the end of the labyrinth!
Reviews (in Lithuanian):
