56 Nordic Theatre Studies Vol. 27: No. 1 ABSTRACT

Home , Arvydas Juozaitis, Balys Sruoga, Felix Dzerzhinsky, Rasos Cemetery

ABSTRACT Centripetal Force of locus: Dilemmas of Nomadism in Contemporary Lithuanian Artistic Practices By using two cases – a production, called !e Heart in Vilnius (2012) and a social-artistic project Give Yourself to Vilnius (2014), the article aims to discuss the issue of a “liquid” mind-set (Bauman) as it is perceived, re!ected and formulated in contemporary Lithuanian artistic practices. "ese examples were intentionally chosen because both seem to address the issue of “roots” in one’s native land in opposition to physical or intellectual mobility. By establishing Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, as the spiritual locus of emotional ful#llment, both cases dwell on a social anxiety that Zygmunt Bauman terms “a meaninglessness”, typical for a transitional society, where modernization progresses at a di$erent pace in di$erent strata. Moreover, whether it is a political statement or a popular attraction, both examples portray a nomad and nomadism of late modernity as an “Other”, drawing a divisional and alienating line between a “liquid” mind-set and a “stable” one.

Keywords: theatre, popular culture, liquid mind-set, anxiety, contemporary Lithuania.

BIOGRAPHY Martynas Petrikas (Dr) is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Creative Media, Vilnius University (Lithuania) and a Lecturer at the Department of "eatre Studies, Faculty of Arts, Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithua- nia). His #elds of interest, among others, are social aspects of theatrical practice, the history of Lithuanian theatre, and the history and theory of theatre criticism. His contribution to a collective monograph Postsovietinis Lietuvos teatras: (Post-Soviet Lithuanian Theatre: History, Identity, ) came out in print in 2014. [email protected]

56 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Centripetal Force of locus Dilemmas of Nomadism in Contemporary Lithuanian Artistic Practices

MARTYNAS PETRIKAS

"e housekeeper Marguerite, a character in Le they were enveloped in light rabbit or heavy shear- Champ d’oliviers, a lesser-known Guy de Mau- ling coats, placed like little buns in the back seat passant 1890 novel, informs her master, the local of a ‘Moskvitch 401 or 407’ and taken to the local abbé, of her discomfort with a visit by un maoufa- hospital for vaccination against the measles. […] tan – equivalent of malfaiteur – for a lawbreaker or In their childhood they made a fundamental pact criminal in Provençal. In such a manner, good Mlle of inseparability between a dream and a duty. […] Marguerite refers to a stranger, a person without "ey were the #rst generation which perceived a life any evident provenance, profession or intentions as as motion. Freedom is a certain substance without a vagabond who is assumed to be a hazard at least to a permanent address: the Sixties’ generation gave a the usual rhythm of the day. However, not only the new content to this formula.”2 delicious dinner of poule au riz growing cold is at Rather symptomatically the issue of mobility was stake here. Metaphorically, the #gure of the stranger, one of the earliest that was discussed on the Lithua- his/her presence and activities possess an existential nian stage: the #rst play in Lithuanian that proved to threat to the wholesomeness of a micro-world in a be a popular success was the comedy America in the sun-soaked coastal village, as well as to the integrity Bathhouse, published in 1895. "e authors, Antanas of the lives of the characters in the novel. and Juozas Vilkutaičiai, evidently aimed not only at "us, a stranger, a world-roaming vagabond be- providing the amateur Lithuanian stage of the time comes a maoufatan in the eyes of the settled local with adequate playwriting, they saw their play as a populace. Anthropologically, what we have here is contribution to growing concerns about Lithuanian a con!ict between two di$erent life styles that have emigration. In the comedy, a credulous country girl, their roots, one in a settled and sedentary, and an- who under the charm of a wandering tailor, tries to other in a nomadic lifestyle. As Knut Ove Arntzen elope to the United States, ends up in a steam bath points out, in a philosophical context, the nomadic on the outskirts of the village and in shame. "us lifestyle corresponds to a metaphorical way of re- America in the Bathhouse set a satirical and didac- !ecting reality.1 In contrast to the idea of growth, tic tone that in subsequent decades became typical development and reproduction in a single place, for representing the issue of mobility on the Lith- which is the crucial element of a stable lifestyle, the uanian stage. As literary scholar Reda Pabarčienė notion of mobility and possibilities within a mobile points out, Petras Vaičiūnas (1890–1959, the most lifestyle for the nomads becomes a predisposition proli#c Lithuanian playwright of the Interwar peri- for learning and producing. In a similar manner, yet od), when addressing migration in his plays, would in a less approving tone, the Latvian sociologist Tālis usually draw a pattern of inward movement for the Tisenkopfs described the generations that were born characters: only temporary excursions out of the na- in the Soviet Union during the Sixties: “as children tive place were deemed acceptable.3

Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 57 A clash between nomadic and settled lifestyles of the twentieth century. Moreover, under Soviet strongly resonates in contemporary sociology, where rule, the notion of Lithuanian nationality was in- Zygmunt Bauman terms the mind-set of late mo- tentionally transformed into depoliticized “folk”, to dernity as “liquid” in contrast to its “solid” modern use the philosopher Nerija Putinaitė’s wording, thus predecessor.4 Bauman’s late modern subject is “light increasing its rural, ethnographic and pre-modern and liquid”: an individual who shifts her/his geo- connotations.9 As such it remained in popular im- graphical, social, political, marital, sexual, cultural agery after 1990, fuelling controversies on Lithuani- positions in a !uid manner, excluding her/himself anness further. Perceived in this way, an opposition from traditional forms of support, such as family, between the doxa of stability and the “liquid” heter- community, nation and state. In a metaphorical odoxy can easily be transferable to a political debate sense, such a nomad withstands the common law and an economic argument. of gravity, which presupposes a power relationship In a political sense, increased mobility can be between the core and the peripheral, where the for- related to social strati#cation, or as Bauman notes, mer attracts the latter, thus de#ning its actions and rather than homogenizing the human condition, trajectory. the technological diminution of temporal/spatial Moreover, as Rosi Braidotti points out, some of distances tends to polarize it. For some people, mo- the greatest trips can take place without physically bility gives freedom of meaning-creation, yet, by the moving from one’s habitat. According to Braidot- same token, is condemned by others for meaning- ti, a nomadic mind-set should be regarded as aim- lessness.10 In Lithuania these were metaphorically ing at the subversion of a set of conventions and expressed by the infamous division of society into at consciousness-raising, rather than the literal act “runkeliai” (the beetroots) and “elitas” (the elite), of traveling.5 Consequently, the nomad becomes a which has grown into a #xture of public discourse lawbreaker in a political sense, or, as Bauman ar- in the #rst decade of the twenty-#rst century. It is gues, in the contemporary world, mobility (physical interesting to note, how such a division semantically or indeed intellectual) has become a powerful tool included an opposition between “rooted” stability in the restrati#cation of social hierarchies.6 and “detached” mobility that explicitly becomes a Society in post-Soviet Lithuania provides a good domain of “the elite”.11 "us, the upper echelons of insight into the clash between two di$erent mind- society were equaled to those who are able to ben- sets. As sociologist Jolanta Kuznecovienė notes, e#t from the nomadic or “liquid” lifestyle, whereas contemporary Lithuanian cultural practices can be the physically or intellectually “rooted” rest were de- divided and grouped into two distinct tendencies, graded. Because of such a lack of equilibrium social which advocate for either a national or transnation- tensions are highly possible in di$erent layers of so- al identity.7 Moreover, globalization in economics ciety, Emmanuel Todd observes that modernization and the consequent increase of mobility both phys- progresses at di$erent paces, whereas the ideals of ical and intellectual is proportional to the in!ux of liberty and individualism are not necessarily em- intercultural elements into the local socio-cultural braced as positive in all strata.12 pattern, thus the possibility to detect “unique” fea- "e Lithuanian artist and scholar Kęstutis Šapo- tures in Lithuanian identity is diminishing. In the ka provides an additional correlation between social typical quest for a de#nition of national uniqueness, divisions and contemporary Lithuanian art. In his the side arguing on emotional and ethical grounds 2011 review of Žilvinas Kempinas’ personal exhi- substitutes the lack of clear-cut features by elevating bition in Vilnius, the scholar argues that Kempinas’ national and transnational identities into a moral “ingenious and amusing”, “intentionally lightheart- opposition.8 In other words, transnational identity, ed yet suggestive enough” and, above all, perfect- springing out of the nomadic or “liquid” mind-set, ly executed work mirrors cultural preferences and is opposed to the doxa of stable and homogenous tastes of the Lithuanian bourgeoisie.13 "is well- nationality, which, in the Lithuanian case, was cre- heeled stratum, which arrived at a dominant posi- ated in the course of nation-building in the #rst half tion in the Nineties, to use Šapoka’s wording, “is too

58 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 spoiled to believe in solid, universal values”. Where- a provincial city in the Second Polish Republic; a as the “common folk”, in the scholar’s opinion, in hundred years ago, in 1914, it was an administra- front of Kempinas’ oeuvres remain cold and indif- tive center on the outskirts of the Russian Empire, ferent.14 It is important to note that Kempinas (b. a status that had not changed since the dissolution 1969) is not only one of several Lithuanian artists of the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth in 1795. (such as Aidas Bareikis, Gediminas Urbonas, et al.), Yet the peripherality of Vilnius, as Laimonas Briedis whose work has gained the biggest international ac- points out, is one of the reasons, why the city be- claim and is mainly produced abroad, but also that came central for numerous minds.17 In the case of the exploration of the phenomenon of movement Lithuanians, the groundwork was laid in the early is at the core of his signature kinetic installations. twentieth century, or, as Tomas Venclova notes, in Hence, the topos of nomadic elites and “root- between the First and Second World Wars when ed” underprivileged “folk” becomes equally handy Lithuanians already perceived Vilnius as a mythic both for populist politics and for artists, who seek residence of Renaissance-era rulers of the Grand attention and popular approval. In fact, as my ex- Duchy of Lithuania. Hence, it was regarded as the amples will demonstrate, populist agenda and arti- spiritual and (hopefully) political capital, a center, facts, designed for popular consumption, are tightly synonymous with power, fame, enlightenment, or interconnected in their common masquerading as indeed, Lithuania itself. Besides, Vilnius is a noto- advocates for social change (or, rather, redress) in riously “necro-friendly” location, as Briedis would the name of those in need of one. I have chosen two add: “In the absence of a coherent historical narra- instances, one might be called high, the other low- tive and stable geographical location, the dead be- brow, yet both seem to address the issue of “roots” came the most identi#able markers.”18 in one’s native land, or of the importance of one’s In 2012 the State Youth "eatre in Vilnius pre- locus as opposed to physical or intellectual mobility. miered !e Heart in Vilnius (Širdis Vilniuje), a pro- Both of my examples focus on the image of Vilnius, duction based on Arvydas Juozaitis play, directed by the capital of Lithuania, which is being presented Jonas Vaitkus and Albertas Vidžiūnas. "e produc- either as an object of desire, or as a locus where he- tion received very mixed reviews, yet most of the donistic cravings are most likely to be ful#lled. In critics agreed that if not the production itself, then both artifacts Vilnius becomes a symbolic center the play is quite a remarkable undertaking.19 To of gravity, attracting the #ctional subjects. Such a present the plot very shortly, the play can be regard- framing, as well as the representation of the cen- ed as a sort of closet drama and is mainly a dialogue tripetal force, are presumably designed to resonate between Józef Piłsudski and Felix Dzerzhinsky that with the audience, producing both economic and occurs during their #ctional post-mortem meeting. political e$ects. It is important to stress that the published ver- sion of the play (2011) bore the subheading “historical tragifarce”20, explaining the genre of the text. LOCUS AS MORAL OBLIGATION Marshal Piłsudski’s (1867-1935) ways did actually "e growing body of scholarly research in which cross those of Dzerzhinsky (1877-1926). Piłsudski Vilnius is treated as a cultural text tends to repre- – a major and highly revered Polish politician, as sent the centrality of the present capital of Lithuania head of the Second Polish Republic and the noto- and its gravitational qualities in mythogenic narra- riously brutal Dzerzhinsky nicknamed “Iron Felix”, tives of at least four nations – Lithuanians, Poles, a Soviet statesman and a founder of “Cheka” (pre- Belorussians and Jews.15 A basic reverse assessment cursor to the KGB) were born in the Vilnius region, made in a Braidotti manner16 shows that Vilnius attended the same school, served sentences in 1900 was not necessarily a political capital or important at Warsaw Citadel prison, accused of subversive rev- cultural center at all times: #fty years ago, in 1964, olutionary activities: one representing the Polish So- it was the capital of the Lithuanian SSR and of cialist Party, the other a Marxist party called Social limited in!uence; eighty years ago, in 1934, it was Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithua-

Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 59 nia. In spite of early encounters, Piłsudski’s social- Unfavorable for Lithuanians, yet very desirable for izing with Dzerzhinsky in later life was hardly im- others, i.e. neighboring nations with their own pur- aginable: the ideological di$erences between their suits. political stances were too great. Yet, according to the "e production, seemingly dwelling on the sim- Lithuanian theatre critic Vaidas Jauniškis, the 2012 ple reasoning of “appreciate it, as you may lose it”, production of !e Heart in Vilnius gave the impres- actually opens a more complex debate. First, the sion of a poetic fantasy on a historical subject rather play emphasizing emotional attachment to Vilni- than a farce. "e farcical tone was totally eradicat- us frames the city as a symbolic locus of attraction, ed by director Vaitkus’s “utmost seriousness”, who whereas exploiting mythemes of Vilnius as a met- staged the play in a key reminiscent of Lithuanian aphor for Lithuania addresses the issue of “roots”. poetic theatre of the Seventies.21 According to several theatre critics in the produc- "e production contributes to framing Vilnius tion, Piłsudski and Dzerzhinsky, whom Lithuanian as a symbolic center of gravity that attracts intellec- historiography traditionally portrays as negative tual and physical motion by revealing how impor- characters, are rehabilitated – mainly because of tant the historical capital of Lithuania is for at least their a$ection toward the Lithuanian capital. three parties concerned. "e personae of Piłsudski According to Piłsudski’s last will, his heart was and Dzerzhinsky are the personi#cations of Poland removed from his body and was interred in Vilnius. and of Russia subsequently, whereas the character "e mausoleum at Vilnius’ Rasos Cemetery bears of a Professor, the prominent Interwar literary #g- the inscription “Mother and Son’s Heart”, as the ure Balys Sruoga, symbolically represents Lithuania. urn containing the heart was laid to rest together Interestingly enough, as an incarnation of Lithua- with the remains of Piłsudski’s mother (which in nia, the playwright chose a stereotypical #gure of a 1935 was exhumed and transferred from an original scholar, learned yet totally incapable of handling the burial place in Suginčiai), hence creating a power- challenges of reality. “He must be Lithuanian: he ful symbol. As theatre critic Konstantinas Bork- has the gaze of a sheep,” utters Felix.22 ovskis notes: “Oginski’s solemn polonaise, which In contrast to Piłsudski (representing the expan- is constantly played during the performance as if sionist “ego of twentieth century Poland”, as literary for Piłsudski’s funeral procession, is not a parody critic Rima Pociūtė observes23) and Dzerzhinsky, or illustration, it is rather a metaphor”25, possibly who in his youth had dreamt of an empire stretching suggesting that the Polish Marshal’s sentiments were from Warsaw up to Moscow and obviously incorpo- more familiar than Lithuanians think. rating Vilnius and Lithuania altogether, the Profes- "ree conclusions thus can be suggested. Firstly, sor is given only a minor part in the play. "rown !e Heart in Vilnius exploits and encourages popu- into the same purgatorial space as the two former lar understanding of the importance of one’s phys- characters, the Professor represents passionate na- ical roots by stressing the a/nity between a person tionalist ardor. Pociūtė equates the Professor to the and their place of birth. Secondly, the attraction of primordial instincts of Lithuanian society, uncom- Vilnius, framed as a locus of a radiating centripe- promising and straightforward when it comes to the tal force, serves as a vehicle for a double message. matters of integrity of their country. "us after rec- It metaphorically represents Lithuania and the ob- ognizing Piłsudski, the Professor shouts „Kill him!“ ject of desire. "irdly, the production clearly aims yet he gets killed himself. “"e Professor does not at opposing intellectual and physical “liquidity”: improve,” observes Dzerzhinsky.24 It is easy to note ostensibly portraying the seductive power of Vilni- that such a turn instantly gives an ideological shade us, it elevates the discussion about the importance to the entire play. "e brief and sharply terminated of one’s “roots” into a moral dilemma. In the play’s stage presence of Lithuania incarnated by the Pro- argument the maoufatan or lawbreaker is not only fessor highlights and acknowledges the country as a hostile neighbor, but also the one who #nds her/ an unsafe area primarily because of its unfavorable his reasons to challenge a sedentary mind-set and geo-political situation between Poland and Russia. to trespass boundaries of national identity and of

60 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 native country, thus implying that the two men who Vilnius as the spiritual core complete with “ances- went abroad should have stayed in Vilnius. tors’ bones” that call for blood and recuperation, thus #xing the popular mind (as well as the eyes of the global community) upon it.31 Another notable LOCUS AS FULFILLEMENT example was produced in the Sixties. !e Vilnius’ My second example is of a di$erent kind. In early Roofs by Edmundas Juškevičius (lyrics) and Mikas 2014 a new social project Give Yourself to Vilnius Vaitkevičius (music) was written in 1966 and in nu- (Atsiduok Vilniui) has emerged. "e public body merous rearrangements has remained popular ever of the same title is its manager, whereas a group of since.32 As Stanevičiūtė observes, the song represents prominent Lithuanian pop performers (singers and a peculiar instance of an o/cial Soviet modernism. actors) are its key personalities, led by Tomas Augu- Written as a stylized twist, it was clearly an answer to lis, a singer. According to the post on a dedicated the Western counterpart, yet laden with an ideolog- Facebook page, the main aim of the project is a) ically active message.33 Vilnius within is portrayed to generate a Give Yourself to Vilnius community as twofold – the “old” (as tiled roofs of the Old that would contribute to the development of the Town) and the “young” (as !at roofs of the newly city in terms of loveliness, authenticity, openness built apartment blocks). "e protagonist, who links and tidiness among others, and b) to support the these two facets, or rather emphasizes the latter over capital, which is supposedly on the edge of #nancial the former, is a young man, possibly a newcomer to meltdown.26 "e centerpiece of the project is a song the capital. "us, this time Vilnius became a symbol and music video: “Give yourself to Vilnius, because of postwar Soviet aspirations: a spatial embodiment he loves you / Nah, nah, nay … / Give yourself to of sophistication and energetic modernization as- Vilnius, close your eyes and !y away / Nah, nah, sociated with youth, that in Stanevičiūtė’s opinion nay … / Give to Vilnius a tear of happiness / Whop, served as an encouragement to forget the trauma of whop, whop… / Give yourself to Vilnius in winter occupation and to naturalize a Soviet utopia.34 In and summer. Give yourself.”27 both songs, the image of Vilnius is expected to cre- What could be regarded as a self-promotional ate a centripetal motion inspired either by the spirit stunt, aimed at redressing the fading pro#les of the of patriotism in the interwar years, or urged to take performers (most of whom had their heyday in the a part in (and bene#t from) building the new Soviet Nineties), is also a case of another framing of locus. reality. As musicologist Rūta Stanevičiūtė points out, Give Yourself to Vilnius follows the same model. songs that took Vilnius as their thematic subject Yet this time, alongside evident sexual allusions, the make a considerable body of popular music, pro- song, the music video as well as the posts on the duced for listeners in Lithuania. Currently, the ar- Facebook page stress the hedonistic qualities asso- chive of the Lithuanian National Radio lists more ciated with the capital. In quotidian Lithuanian, than 200 entries (these were mainly produced in atsiduok stands for giving oneself up sexually. "e the last century and mainly in Lithuanian, hence music video features occasional ecstatic body lan- it does not include songs dedicated to Vilnius in guage, whereas Vilnius is masculinized as “he”, in- other languages such as Polish or Yiddish).28 One stead of a neutral “it” on promotional T-shirts in of the early popular successes was Hey, World, We English. However, in the song, the proposed image Are Not Relenting Without Vilnius, written by Petras of the capital not only o$ers hedonistic sensations Vaičiūnas in 1922 (music by Antanas Vanagaitis) to of a cup of delicious co$ee after nocturnal pleas- evoke Vilnius’s annexation to Poland.29 According ures, but it also focuses on openness to the populace to Venclova, the song rose to the status of an uno/- who come from out of town. (Some of the artists in cial anthem in Interwar Lithuania.30 Alongside mil- mind were not born in the capital themselves.) itaristic (“We’ll redeem the throne of Vilnius with Despite di$erent levels of discourse, Give Your- lightning #res”) and slightly martyr like overtones self to Vilnius and !e Heart in Vilnius both share the (“If we’ll have to, we’ll die free”), Hey, world framed same tendency to dwell on the stability of tradition-

Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 61 al markers such as identity, community, nation and channels, and for a short while reaching the second state and to establish Vilnius as a symbolic center of position in Lietus Radio top ten charts in March gravity, attracting everyone physically, emotionally 2014.36 It is di/cult to indicate the reason why both as well as intellectually. "e Give Yourself to Vilnius projects failed to attract a wider audience, yet their song even lists the names of peripheral Lithuanian background clearly indicates an intention to cater to towns, claiming that the capital equally “loves” in- people who feel themselves somewhat at a tangent habitants from them all. However, the visual nar- to Baumanian “restrati#cation”. Just as in populist rative di$ers slightly: the paper cards, listing the politics that, according to Chantal Mou$e, organiz- names of the towns that are displayed in the video, es its appeal by opposing “the establishment” to “the include only smaller scale places, which statistically people”,37 !e Heart in Vilnius and Give Yourself to are most likely to lose some of their population due Vilnius agendas, each in their own way, frame the to ageing and emigration abroad. A suitable indi- locus by othering a “liquid” mind-set from a “stable” rect commentary, posted on a Facebook page, states one. If, in the former case, the potential nomad is that Vilnius is in no way inferior to other European being equated with the maoufatan, or lawbreaker, cities. then in the latter a role model, promoting the cen- "us, Give Yourself to Vilnius can be regarded as tripetal migration to Vilnius and so preserving the a double-sided project. Firstly, it aims at appealing populace for the country, is being established. Both to potential consumers by seemingly addressing the projects not only dwell on mutual ideals but also people who possibly su$er due to “meaningless- conspicuously side with the doxa of stability and ness”. "e project provides them with a vision of an thus an unwillingness to accept change in conven- emotionally rewarding community in Vilnius, i.e. tions. As such, both rely on preserving the illusion right at their #ngertips, and symbolically reinstates of the wholesomeness of modern times and on the the sense of value of one’s native place. Secondly, false hope that it can still be reconstructed. it enters into the realm of politics as it assumes a stance in a debate on migration. By aiming to create a community, Give Yourself to Vilnius in fact encourages people to move, yet in a particular centripetal manner towards the locus where the followers can #nd their hedonistic reward. Such a locus coincides with the capital of Lithuania, whose immanently strong image is additionally enhanced by both sexual references and a promise of emotional ful#llment. Moreover, in the hands of local celebrities, centripetal movement can easily transform into a model for imitation. As Will M. Gervais et al. observe, so called “prestige based” learning bias is common, as people tend to imitate older, skilled, prestigious and successful cultural models.35

CONCLUSION As of September 2014 only one showing of !e Heart in Vilnius at the State Youth "eatre in Vil- nius was advertised. "e following of Give Yourself to Vilnius project has been equally slow, counting just above 1300 Facebook “total page likes”, despite the song being broadcast on commercial radio

62 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 NOTES AND REFERENCES na-Vilnius, Novoje Literaturnoje Obozrenije, Moscow 1 Knut Ove Arntzen, “On Nomadism” in Trans. Inter- 2008 (in Russian) among others. net-Zeitschrift fuer Kulturwissenschaften, no. 14, 2003, 16 See: Braidotti, op. cit., pp. 30-2. http://www.inst.at/trans/14Nr/arntzen14.htm (accessed 17 Interview with Laimonas Briedis in Bernardinai, 2012, 20 September 2014). http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2012-01-04-lai- 2 Tālis Tisenkopfs, “Ak, laimingieji. Septintojo dešimtme- monas-briedis-vilniaus-istorijos-tiesiog-bijoma/74445 čio kartai, kurios lūkesčiai pripildė pasaulį” in Kultūros (accessed 20 September 2014). barai, no. 4, 2004, pp. 56-7. 18 Laimonas Briedis, Vilnius: City of Strangers, Baltos lan- 3 Reda Pabarčienė, Petro Vaičiūno pasaulis, Lietuvių litera- kos, Vilnius 2012, p. 222. tūros ir tautosakos institutas, Vilnius 1996, p. 116. 19 For selection of opinions see: Giedrė Milkevičiūtė, “Susi- 4 Zygmunt Bauman, Liquid Modernity, Polity Press, Cam- tikimas istorijos skaistykloje” in Respublika, 2012, http:// bridge 2012, p. 16. www.respublika.lt/lt/naujienos/kultura/kulturos_nau- 5 Rosi Braidotti, Nomadic Subjects. Embodiment and Sexu- jienos/susitikimas_istorijos_skaistykloje (accessed 3 Sep- al Di%erence in Contemporary Feminist !eory, Columbia tember 2014). University Press, New York 2013, p. 26. 20 Arvydas Juozaitis, Širdis Vilniuje (!e Heart in Vilnius. 6 Zygmunt Bauman, Globalization. !e Human Conse- !e script), 2011, p. 13. Courtesy of the State Youth "e- quences, Polity Press, Cambridge 1998, p. 70. atre in Vilnius. 7 Jolanta Kuznecovienė, “Šiuolaikinės lietuvių tautinės ta- 21 Quoted as in: Giedrė Milkevičiūtė, “Susitikimas isto- patybės kontūrai” in Sociologija. Mintis ir veiksmas, no. 2, rijos skaistykloje” in Respublika, 2012, http://www. 2006, p. 104. respublika.lt/lt/naujienos/kultura/kulturos_naujienos/ 8 Ibid., p. 106. susitikimas_istorijos_skaistykloje (accessed 3 September 9 Nerija Putinaitė, Šiaurės Atėnų tremtiniai. Lietuviškosios 2014). tapatybės paieškos ir Europos vizijos XX a., Aidai, Vilnius 22 Juozaitis, op. cit., p. 13. 2004, p. 145. 23 Rima Pociūtė, “Skaistykloje susidursi su savo Šešėliu, 10 Bauman 1998, op. cit., p. 18. arba Kuo geras / blogas XXI amžiaus teatras” in Šiaurės 11 "e origin of this pejorative ‘terminology’ is obscure. atėnai, no. 8, 2012, p. 11. Scholars of public discourse in Lithuania, however, argue 24 Ibid., p. 23. that it was #rst used as a reference to protesting agricul- 25 Konstantinas Borkovskis, “Susitikimo vieta: “Ground tural workers in early 2000, and only after did it become Zero”, Wilno” in Menufaktura, 2012, http://www.me- a metonym for everyone who lacks sophistication, sports nufaktura.lt/?m=1025&s=60770#gsc.tab=0 (accessed 3 retrograde opinions, i.e., does not exhibit contemporary September 2014). manners. (Regina Koženiauskienė, “Tropų fenomenas 26 https://lt-lt.facebook.com/AtsiduokVilniui (accessed 5 ginčytino teksto ekspertizėse” in Žmogus ir žodis, no. 1, September 2014). 2009, pp. 58-9.). 27 Full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- 12 Emmanuel Todd, Après l’empire. Essai sur la décomposi- 7jrnZu0REKg (in Lithuanian, accessed 5 September tion du système américaine, Gallimard, Paris 2002, pp. 2014). 44, 67. 28 Rūta Stanevičiūtė, “Kultūrinės migracijos ir tautinė ta- 13 Kęstutis Šapoka, “Polifoniniai reikšmynai, tikrosios bū- patybė XX a. populiariosiose dainose apie Vilnių” in Res ties ūkai ir galinė “Moskvičiaus” sėdynė. Žilvino Kempi- Humanitariae, no. 9, 2011, p. 210. no instaliacijos “Vartų” galerijoje” in Kultūros barai, no. 29 For the 1938 recording see: http://www.youtube.com/ 3, 2011, p. 41. watch?v=3IsyuTe6LNY (accessed 6 September 2014). 14 Ibid., p. 41. 30 Tomas Venclova, “Vilnius kaip nostalgijos objektas” in 15 See: Tomas Veclova, Vilniaus vardai, R. Paknio leidykla, Kultūros barai, no. 9, 2009, p. 26. Vilnius 2006; Tomas Venclova, Vilnius: asmeninė istori- 31 Quotations from: Petras Vaičiūnas, Laisvės keliais, Vaga, ja, R. Paknio leidykla, Vilnius 2011; Laimonas Briedis, Vilnius 1991, p. 62. Vilnius: City of Strangers, Baltos lankos, Vilnius 2012; 32 For the 1966 recording see: http://www.youtube.com/ Valentina Brio, Poetry and Poetics of the City. Wilno-Vil- watch?v=FPQUEVMcBZM (accessed 6 September

Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 27: no. 1 63 2014). 33 Stanevičiūtė, op. cit., p. 215. 34 Ibid., p. 216. 35 Will M. Gervais, Aiyana K. Willard, Ara Norenzayan, Joseph Henrich, “"e Cultural Transmission of Faith: Why Innate Intuitions are Necessary, but Insu/cient, to Explain Religious Belief” in Religion, no. 3, 2011, p. 392. 36 Quoted as in: http://www.topdainos.lt/dain- a/6321/%C4%AFvair%C5%ABs-atlik%C4%97jai--atsiduok-vilniui (accessed 10 September 2014). Lietus Radio is a channel mostly dedicated to Lithuanian music. 37 Chantal Mou$e, On the Political, Routledge, London, New York 2005, p. 70.

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