Egle, The Queen of The Grass Snakes

In mid 2004 The Perun’s Tree Theatre has begun working on a new project, this time connected to the Baltic Mythology. Indigenous Baltic culture remains in a close relation to the Slavonian Culture – we would like to find the similarities and differences between them and express them in our activity. Lithuania was the last country in Europe to accept Christianity – almost 350 years after Poland – and thus the pre-Christian resources preserved (songs, beliefs) – are incomparably richer there.

The works were initiated by an expedition to Lithuania, the main aim of which was to collect folk and archaic songs – the material for the future theatre activity. We began the journey with a visit to the village of Dverciskes, where a gathering of a neo-pagan group called Romuva took place, led by Jonas and Inija Trinkunas. We participated in the local rituals which involved singing. The Kulgrinda Group, which was created ten years ago and attached to Romuva, finds and performs archaic Lithuanian songs. It is one of the most esteemed group performing authentic music in Lithuania. We learned songs from them but at the same time we wandered in the surrounding area, met with people and recorded songs they sang for us. The third source of songs was the Vilnus archive of the department of ethno-musicology of The Lithuania Musical Academy run by Dalia Urbanaviciene, whom we met during the meeting of Romuva.

The base of our work are traditional lithuanian chants called sutartines. The 'sutartines' are polivocal, a kind of canon, with a very primitive, ritual sound. Their rawness and originality make them extremely potent in a thetrical work. They combine very well with motion and picture. That is why it is the songs and the very process of learning which are the beginning of our theatrical activities.

Another very important element of the performance is a shadow. Theatre of shadows, especially that of Spanish tradition, is a technique we use since the creation of 'The Cemetery Shadows' Evening' in 'The 108 Theatre'. Such way of theatre-making is strongly focused on the visual side of the performance. It is also a challenge to the traditional notion of on-stage interaction between the actor and the spectator.

Since chants, motion and the visual aspect of the performance are the major ways of expression in the 'Drzewo Peruna Theatre' the role of the spoken text is minimal. Every scene is built upon certain leitmotifs and developed during a process of improvisation on movement and voice.

The textual basis of the creative effort is a Lithuanian fable 'The Queen of  The Grass Snakes'. The main heroine being Egle, kidnapped from her home by the king of grass snakes. Despite of Egle being able to love her abuser her siblings slay him in the act of revenge. The starting point of the story is a young maiden's mourn over her lost love. By conjuring the tragic story of Egle, young girl has a chance for soothing her own pain.

Parts of the performance were shown for the first time during the Exchange of Work with Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards at Pontedera, Italy late January 2005. The second confrontation with the audience took place in March in Warsaw, Poland during  our Lithuanian Evening (countinuing the tradition of the '108 Theatre'). Apart from the bits of the show we gave a concert of traditional Baltic chants and hosted a reception with traditional Lithuanian meals.

The premiere of our performance is scheduled for May 2005. In our work so far, the creative process was far more important than its effect. This time we are determined not to 'lose' the performance and show it in many places all over the world ever perfecting it. As far as our further work is considered Lithuania is to remain the centre of our interest till June 2007.