The Kaunas State Musical Theatre, formerly Kaunas City Theatre, is a theatre in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, Lithuania. It is home to a musical theatre company of the same name, established on 27 November 1940 in the former State Theatre hall on the Laisvės Alėja.

History

The building dates back to 1892, when a small theatre designed by Kaunas province architect Justinas Golinevičius was built next to what is now known as the City Garden. The decision to build a Kaunas City Theatre was made in 1891, and the first play was staged there on January 9, 1892.

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

was chosen as a style for the building, and it was built in the City Garden square. The two-story building incorporated a hall of in size. Spectators also could watch plays from the two-storey balcony rows. In the balconies, special loges were established for the Governor of Kaunas and the commandant of

Kaunas Fortress Kaunas Fortress (, , ) is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887. During W ...

. Kaunas became the

temporary capital A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a city or town chosen by a government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in retaining or establishing control of a different metropolitan area. The most common circumstances leadi ...

during the period of the First Republic after World War I, and the building became one of the main stages of the State. It was also used for meetings of the City Council, and later the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (), or simply the Seimas ( ; ), is the unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of Government of Lithuania, govern ...

(parliament). In 1919, first performances of Antanas Sutkus' National Theater were staged in the theatre, and in 1920, the

Lithuanian Artists' Association The Lithuanian Artists' Association () is a creative voluntary artistic organization in Lithuania, uniting professional painters and artists. It is the official association for artists in the country. The association works towards stimulating and ...

established their drama and

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

theatres here. In 1922, the association was nationalised, and the State Theatre was established. However the 450-seat theatre, with two-storey uncomfortable balconies, was considered too small to accommodate the country's main performing arts centre, but the economy did not allow for a complete reconstruction. Instead, a significant renovation was designed by architects

Vladimir Dubenecki Vladimiras Dubeneckis (6 September 1888 – 10 August 1932) was a Lithuanian architect and painter. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Leon Benois, and became a professor of the academy in 1917. He was also a professor at t ...

and Mykolas Songaila. The style of the main façade added

neo-baroque Neo-Baroque may refer to: * Neo-Baroque music * Neo-Baroque painting, a painting style used by Christo Coetzee and others *Baroque Revival architecture * Neo-Baroque film *the Organ reform movement The Organ Reform Movement or ''Orgelbewegung'' ...

forms to its previous neoclassical style. The reconstruction, completed in 1925, expanded and modernised the stage and the hall, with the hall featuring

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

interior decoration. More entrances and staircases were also added. The seating was increased to accommodated 763 people, with a third row of balconies and a central loge added. In 1930-1933, a second complete renovation of the building was instigated, designed by

Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis (10 March 1893 – 21 May 1993) was a Lithuanian architect most active in interwar Lithuania (1926–1939). He was the father of Vytautas Landsbergis, the first Lithuanian head of state after independence from th ...

. The premises were significantly expanded, and a motor-operated

fire curtain A safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a passive fire protection feature used in large proscenium theatres. It is usually a heavy fabric curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based materials were originally ...

was installed in front of the stage, which was brought into use when a fire broke out in the same year. On 21 July 1940, after Lithuania was annexed by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the "People's Seimas" announced the founding of Lithuania as a Socialist Soviet Republic in the theatre building, and later that year the State Theatre was abolished. There were many changes of name, and theatre troupes merged, were established or disestablished. After the

Nazi occupation of Lithuania The military occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany lasted from the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, to the end of the Battle of Memel on January 28, 1945. At first the Germans were welcomed as liberators from the repress ...

during World War II, many opera and ballet troupes left Kaunas. In 1948, the company of the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre, which had resided in the State Musical Theatre, was moved to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, and musical theatre became the only dramatic genre cultivated in the building. It built its reputation on staging musical comedies. After Lithuania regained independence, the theatre added

to its repertoire. in 1959, the drama and musical theatre companies separated, and the

Kaunas State Drama Theatre The National Kaunas Drama Theatre (NKDT), formerly Kaunas State Drama Theatre, is a theatre and theatre company in Kaunas, Lithuania. The company is the oldest professional theatre troupe in Lithuania, founded in 1920 at the building now known ...

moved to its present location at Laisvės alėja 71, in the refurbished former "Metropolitan" (also spelt "Metropolitain") cinema In 1980–1984, a major renovation was completed by the Institute for the Restoration of Monuments, and in 2008, yet another major reconstruction and modernisation was again carried out.

Romas Kalanta Romas Kalanta (22 February 1953 – 14 May 1972) was a 19-year-old Lithuanian high school student who killed himself by self-immolation in an act of protest against the Soviet regime in Lithuania. His death provoked the largest post-war riots ...

set himself on fire in 1972 as a protest against the Soviet regime in the nearby square.

Notable performances

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's opera ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'', 1951

References

External links

Valstybės Teatras Kaune
(State Theatre in Kaunas; archived 2007) {{Authority control Theatres in Kaunas 1940 establishments in Lithuania Performing groups established in 1940

History

Notable performances

See also

References

External links