Tartiufas

On the stage, a maze of plants represents a modern, bourgeois interior caught in an electric storm. A huge troupe from Lithuania gets lost in enthusiastic monologues, mad choreographies, mischievous retorts, and other shameless declarations. The tone is set, the audience warned: this Tartuffe is explosive. But what if the actors hamming it up weren't only pulling each other's strings, but also ours? What if Oskaras Koršunovas turned the character of the masked hypocrite into a modern snake-oil salesman, a master of communication? Are we at the theatre, in a video game, or on a reality TV show? Maybe a little of each, and much, much more! Our reality is roughed up, distorted by the cameras filming onstage and backstage. Comedy of manners, political satire, social farce... Molière's theatre took on religious hypocrisy. Kosunovas's is an assault on our society, corrupted by those modern fakes who only care about the money god and use propaganda, manipulation, and corruption to reach their goals.

Oskaras Koršunovas
Born in 1969 in Lithuania, Oskaras Koršunovas is a director for the theatre and the opera. He has directed over 60 shows, adapting Russian authors like Bulgakov or Daniil Kharms, modern writers like Sarah Kane or Marius von Mayenburg, and classics. He founded the independent theatre Oskaro Koršunovo Teatras (OKT) in 1999. He sees his nervous and physical approach to theatre as a mirror to life, a tool to know oneself and society. This will be his fifth appearance at the Festival d'Avignon.

Tartuffe
Although it would become Molière's most-performed play, Tartuffe didn't have the most auspicious start. Performed for the first time in front of Louis XIV in Versailles in 1664, it caused a scandal due to its attack on hypocrisy and false piety. Its first two versions were censured, and it is only with its third version, in 1669, that it met with real success.

With Remigijus Bucius, Kestutis Cicenas, Vesta Grabstaite, Darius Meškauskas, Eimantas Pakalka, Agnieška Ravdo, Rasa Samuolyte, Giedrius Savickas, Nelé Savicenko, Salvijus Trepulis, Toma Vaškeviciute
And Joris Sodeika (piano)

Text Molière
Translation Aleksys Churginas
Direction Oskaras Koršunovas
Choregraphy Vesta Grabštaité
Music Gintaras Sodeika
Stage design Vytautas Narbutas
Lights Eugenijus Sabaliauskas
Video Algirdas Gradauskas
Costumes Sandra Straukaité
Assistant direction Antanas Obcarskas

Production Lithuanian National Drama Theatre
With the support of the Ministère de la Culture of Lituanie