VŠDT | BYDERMANAS IR PADEGĖJAI | rež. Gildas Aleksa

Max Friš

"BYDERMAN AND THE ARSONERS"

Two-part comedy

Duration - 2 hours 20 min., one break

Premiere 2024-03-16

Director: Gildas Aleksa

Scenography and costumes: Kotryna K. Rupainytė

Composer: Jokūbas Tulaba

Light artist: Evaldas Šmitkinas

Played by: Arnoldas Jalianiauskas, Karolis Kasperavičius, Aistė Šeštokaitė, Džiugas Kunsmanas, Lina Bocytė, Mindaugas Jurevičius, Rusnė Navickaitė

Arsonists have been terrorizing the city for some time now. Disguising themselves as merchants, they enter the house, settle in the attic and soon set the house on fire. Such an uncontrolled situation in the city especially angers the rich businessman Mr. Byderman. Smoking a cigar and sipping red wine in the living room of his luxury home, he loudly rants about another arson he's read in the newspaper, with a story similar to the previous one: a good-natured merchant takes up residence in the attic again and causes a fire. Byderman laments the frivolity of such people and declares that the caught arsonists "must be hanged immediately." Just at that moment, the maid announces that the merchant has arrived and is eager to see Mr. Byderman. A stranger who introduced himself as a homeless wrestler named Šmica, by appealing to the businessman's humanity, convinces Byderman to shelter the newcomer for at least one night... From that moment on, the action starts at an uncontrollably increasing speed. Before Byerman and his wife Babette know it, a second "guest" settles in their house, the attic fills with gasoline barrels, and the newcomers don't even hide the arsonists anymore. But Byderman denies it until the last moment and does not want to see what is really happening in his house. Byderman has matches in his hands... Will he be able to stop what was done with his own help at the decisive moment? What are the reasons that make us behave in such a way that we become accomplices to our own downfall?

The famous Swiss playwright and writer Max Frisch's play "Byderman and arsonists" (1958) belongs to the category of absurd plays. The play, which has not lost its relevance until now, disguised as a comedy, tells about the fundamental conflict between security and freedom, raises issues of justice and the responsibility of the intelligentsia, and criticizes the behavior patterns of society. This 20th century the work that has become a classic invites us to rethink how little our efforts to live a quality life have when others want us to not have it. According to the play's director, Gildas Aleksas, in the consciousness of the current European, this play evokes an essential and long-delayed narrative, which includes the belief that misfortunes happen to others, somewhere else, while the biggest pest is right here "in the attic" or "behind the door". This constant collective denial, characteristic of Lithuania and Western society, is very reminiscent of Byerman's efforts to lie to oneself and not divide everything into black and white.

Byderman's name is a playful combination of the German word "bieder" (valuable, honest) and "Mann" (man). In a more general sense, it describes the type of mindset of a gullible, easily manipulated ordinary person, when superficial values ​​and attachment to a comfortable life overshadow the rational mind.

M. Frisch's dramaturgy can be described as a theater of intellectual fantasy, so the performance is built on a comic and playful foundation, which intertwines elements of modern circus, acrobatics, physical comedy (slapstick), absurdity and magic tricks.

Gildas Aleksa: "This play can be viewed as a comedy about an average person accustomed to the comforts of a comfortable life who does not want to believe that he is in danger or as a dramatic story about our lack of ability to change our destiny, or as an imprint of the increasingly absurd process of life, as a Christian moral about retribution for bad deeds, or as an essay about how many of our freedom we (don't) want to give up to be safer".

When buying 10 or more tickets, you can contact: vipklientai@bilietai.lt

On the AllEvents portal you can always Buy tickets to an event Theater VŠDT | BYDERMANAS IR PADEGĖJAI | rež. Gildas Aleksa, Šiauliai, Valstybinis Šiaulių dramos teatras February 22

* The description translation is done automatically. There may be inaccuracies. Be sure to check the event description on the ticket store website when buying tickets.