Adaptation as Directorial Practice: The Repertoire Dynamics of Staging Prose in Twenty-First-Century Theatre

Abstract

The article examines the dynamics of prose adaptations in twenty-first-century Lithuanian theatre. Adaptations of prose works have become a notable phenomenon in contemporary Lithuanian theatre. While in the first decade of the century the staging of non-dramatic literature could still be regarded as a distinctive feature of director Eimuntas Nekrošius’s theatre, prose adaptations increasingly emerge as a frequent choice among younger theatre makers in the 2010s and 2020s. Prose adaptations are analysed as a relevant phenomenon of contemporary theatre, focusing on the creative practices of directors from different generations and countries as well as on landmark productions. The article highlights theatre’s capacity to engage with literature as a living process and to reflect prose works through the means of the performing arts.