Welcome to the State Small Theatre of Vilnius
Today’s interest in Gorky’s work lies in those voluminous decisions that can be found in the conflicts he created between materiality and spirituality, between sociability and individuality. This is presented notably in his play The Mother, which we may see as a very Lithuanian story, but at the same time it is fully recognisable in every society, as a situation where one’s own flesh and blood might try to harm each other for a legacy. Here, the spotlight falls on the person of Vassa Zheleznova. First of all, she is a mother, who for 30 years saved up some money for her children, but now it is clear that the children are damaged and misguided. Unfortunately, while she was building up their future, Vassa didn’t think of looking after the present. A family as a unit is much more sensitive than society. No matter what that family looks like … I am much more interested in theatre when we are talking about a conflict between humans as individuals, rather than between different social strata, ideologies or sports teams. In this case, we are talking about a conflict between members of one’s own flesh and blood.