Šolomas Zelmanavičius „ATSIVERTĖLIS. GRAFAS POTOCKIS IŠ VILNIAUS“ (Spektaklio meno vadovas J. Vaitkus Rež. A. Vidžiūnas)

,A convert. Count Potocki from Vilnius" is a three-act composition-libretto by Jonas Vaitkaus based on the dramatic legend of the artist and writer Šolom Zelmanavičius "The Good Tzedek. Count Potockis from Vilnius", works of art, written and spoken sources of Jewish culture.

Š. The legend of Zelmanavičius "Ger tzedek". Count Potocki from Vilnius" in Yiddish ("Ger cedek. Vilner graf Potocki") was published in 1934 in a very small edition. in Kaunas. Ger tzedek is a Hebrew term meaning a righteous proselyte, a person who converted to the Jewish religion, a convert.

Convert Count Potocki - a partly historical person, before 275 a year ago, a man was burned in Vilnius for his beliefs. For the play Sh. Zelmanavičius adapted an old Jewish legend about a rich Christian young man who converted to Judaism, which became an inseparable part of Jewish folklore not only in Vilnius, but also in the whole of Eastern Europe. The prototype of the legend was probably based on the decision of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania in 1753. June 9 Rafal Sentimani, a Croat, who accepted Judaism and settled in Ilja shtetl, was burned in Vilnius. There are several recorded accounts of the legend, but the essential motif of the story has remained the same throughout the ages - the tragic fate of a noble Christian who renounces not only wealth and social status, but also his life for the sake of the Jewish faith.

Several layers are very clear in the play: the drama of Count Potocki and Judith's love and the Count's duality (two souls live in him), which is accompanied by a clear desire to purify oneself, to repent of one's sins, to seek purity. The count is a truth-seeker, confession becomes a leitmotif that constantly accompanies this person. Fire cleanses best, but in this case fire is the executioner, the punishment.

Can we still die for our beliefs? Where is the line between sacrifice, fanaticism and naivety? And in general, doesn't the pursuit of cleanliness, modesty, and moderation contradict the prevailing "good life" ideology today? In the performance, the feeling of spiritual hunger invites the public to hunt for the Lamb of God.

Š. In the play, Zelmanavičius creates a colorful Jewish world, reveals Jewish history, religion and traditions. A special role was played by Sh. Zelmanavičius is dedicated to the Gaon of Vilnius, although the hero himself does not appear in the play. The legend of the convert is a carefully developed polemic between Christianity and Judaism, embodied by Count Potocki. An important focus of the play is not only the conflict between the two great religions, but also the internal division of Judaism - the confrontation between Litvaks and Hasids.

The play is written in rich, lively, emotional language. , it is full of words and expressions specific to the Hebrew language and the Litvak dialect. In order to maintain as much authenticity as possible and convey the colorfulness of the language, some names of Jewish cultural and religious realities are not translated in the text. ) are struggling, pushing - as if in the streets of Vilnius that had already disappeared, as if witnessing a civilization that has already disappeared.

"Š. Zelmanavičius's play about the convert Count Potocki aims to grasp the essential, fatal motives of religious faith. In lively, colorful and mystical scenes, the states of the characters are dramatically presented, and the tragic fate of the nobleman, who renounced everything in the name of faith, highlights society's anxiety, cruelty, and at the same time great piety." (Albertas Vidžiūnas)

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Šolomas Zelmanavičius (1898 – 1941 ?) - Vilnius-born painter and writer. The childhood of Sholom and his brothers and sisters was spent in the Jewish cemetery, because the children's father took care of the old Vilnius Jewish cemetery, so the whole large family lived in the house of the funeral society in Šnipiškės, Derevnickajas str. 3. True and fictional stories about people buried in cemeteries heard in childhood had a strong influence on the artist's work.

1919. After the Polish army occupied Vilnius on April 19-21. pogroms took place, which did not bypass Jewish cemeteries. Having lost both parents, Š. Zelmanavičius permanently left the Vilnius region, where anti-Semitism was growing stronger, and moved to Kaunas, where he worked as a decorator's assistant at the State Theater, created decorations for performances, costumes for the Kaunas Hebrew Theater, organized two huge personal exhibitions, and was very productive. In the early creative period Š. Zelmanavičius experimented a lot, studied the possibilities of expression provided by impressionism, primitivism, cubism, expressionism and photography. Interwar Lithuanian journalists wrote not only about Š. Zelmanavičius's work, but also his adventures - the artist was an exceptional personality in the bohemian life of Kaunas. His eccentric sincerity attracted the audience, he was a regular participant in various parties and gatherings. It is believed that Sholom and his wife Brocha were most likely killed in 1941, as no further information has been found about them.

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Jonas Vaitkus (b. 1944) is a theater and film director, theater teacher, laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize and many other prizes. J. Vaitkus has created close to a hundred drama performances, operas in Lithuania and abroad, and has directed movies. The aesthetics of J. Vaitkaus' theater is always recognisable, the direction is distinguished by its strict structure, open theatricality, expression, poetics, variety of genre and stylistic tools, human nature, political and social accents are prominent in his performances.

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Albertas Vidžiūnas (b. 1977) is a theater director. in 2005 completed master's studies in theater directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater (course director - Jonas Vaitkus). 2002-2006 Head and director of the student theater of Vilnius Pedagogical University. Created roles in theater, opera and cinema. The director pays special attention to Lithuanian classical and contemporary Lithuanian dramaturgy. As a director, he collaborated with Jonas Vaitkums in creating plays based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Demons" (LNDT), Arvydas Juozaitis' "Heart in Vilnius" (Jaunimo theater).

Literary consultant - Gytis Norvilas
The play was translated from Yiddish into Lithuanian by Roza Bieliauskienė
The play was translated into Russian by Aleksandra Šalkinė
"Pure prayer " translated into Lithuanian and Russian by Lara Lempertienė
Consultations - Vilma Gradinskaitė, Lara Lempertienė

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