Ramunė Balevičiūtė | Lithuanian Academy of music and Theater (original) (raw)
Papers by Ramunė Balevičiūtė
This article attempts to reveal the reflections of romanticism as an expression of a world-view a... more This article attempts to reveal the reflections of romanticism as an expression of a world-view and method in the works of director Rimas Tuminas. Considering the playful nature of romanticism, the poetics and aesthetics of Tuminas’ plays are analyzed through a prism of game theory. The playful aesthetics of Tuminas’ plays is perceived through the director’s romantic-joking outlook, which determines a special relationship with the drama texts, genre transformations in plays and the stylistic polyvalence. Tuminas’ playful stage direction strategy could be characterized as bringing together what is far apart, and joining what is separate, while maintaining a harmonious entirety. The most important features of scenic aesthetics – visualization, emotionality and irrationality – attest to the touch of romanticism’s aesthetics. The characters of Tuminas’ plays are also largely romantic heroes fully indulged into acting. Although the art of acting in Tuminas’ plays is based on thorough psychological analysis, it is also close to the “game”. The game’s essence is the joy experienced in submerging oneself into an illusion
Numanities - arts and humanities in progress, Dec 2, 2017
The article reveals the specifics of artistic research and the controversies of its assessment. I... more The article reveals the specifics of artistic research and the controversies of its assessment. It shares the view that the goal of artistic research is to contribute both to the artistic universe and to the sphere of academia while using artistic production; however, it asks how it is possible, or if it is possible at all, to transmit new knowledge through the artwork. While discussing the premises for the rise of artistic research , the article introduces different concepts of knowledge , paying special attention to the notion of embodied knowledge. Further, the article proposes two approaches to artistic research —idealistic and pragmatic. Finally, it focuses on the topic of research in acting and discusses the relevant research outcome. In conclusion the article suggests that the most valuable thing about artistic research is consolidation of academic and artistic interests in order to produce innovative visions of future art.
Routledge eBooks, Jul 18, 2023
Pamiętnik Teatralny, Mar 18, 2022
with in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The research resulted in selection of fo... more with in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The research resulted in selection of four meta-themes that emerged from the interviewing material: "city is bustle, " "to withdraw in order to come back, " "I am no one without others, " "beyond aesthetics, " with the theme of withdrawal as the essential axis. The analysis of these meta-themes in phenomenological perspective revealed how withdrawals help Masalskis to realize his vision of the theater. For Masalskis, withdrawals are the way not only to produce a new performance, but also to go further-to deepen anthropological reflection, to develop pedagogical methods, to discover unusual perspectives, to strengthen ethical principles, and, finally, to search for the source of creativity in a calm and focused manner.
Menotyra, Jul 13, 2019
Kūrybos ir tyrimų srityse teatrui vaikams ir jaunajai auditorijai vis dar kovojant už lygias teis... more Kūrybos ir tyrimų srityse teatrui vaikams ir jaunajai auditorijai vis dar kovojant už lygias teises, straipsnyje siekiama pristatyti šiuolaikinį teatrą vaikams kaip savitą scenos meno formą. Teigiama, kad jos išskirtinumą lemia temos ir formos bei raiškos priemonių parinkimas atsižvelgiant į kognityvinius gebėjimus pagal publikos amžiaus tarpsnius, o teigiamą spektaklio poveikį užtikrina pasiruošimas teatrinei patirčiai bei jos reflektavimas su suaugusiųjų pagalba. Kaip gerosios praktikos pavyzdžiai analizuojami Lietuvoje rengiamo tarptautinio festivalio vaikams ir jaunimui "KITOKS" pristatomi spektakliai bei choreografės Birutės Banevičiūtės šokio spektakliai kūdikiams. Atskleidžiama, kad spektakliai kūdikiams ir spektakliai vyresniems vaikams-tai visiškai atskiri pasauliai, kuriems sukurti reikia specifinių žinių ir gebėjimų. Šios scenos meno formos iš pagrindų griauna Lietuvoje vis dar populiarią "spektaklio visai šeimai" koncepciją.
Future actors – current art students – are an overlooked minority population, whose dynamic healt... more Future actors – current art students – are an overlooked minority population, whose dynamic health processes have not been studied enough. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess dynamic characteristics of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre students’ ECG parameters during different genre roles. Results of the study revealed that the discriminant of the regulatory and supplying systems was decreasing through different stages of the research. Also, the results showed that average discriminant values were significantly different only during the first stage - post-isometric muscle relaxation (p<0,05). Both – during different genre roles and autogenic training – statistically significant differences were not found (p≥0,05).
Journal of complexity in health sciences, Dec 31, 2020
The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamic characteristics of ECG parameters while perfor... more The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamic characteristics of ECG parameters while performing different genre roles played by students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Discriminant of the matrix was employed to assess the strength of the relation between a pair of two parameter sequences. The results of the conducted research showed that discriminant of regulatory and supplying systems decreased at different stages of the study process. In addition, the results revealed that the average discriminant values vary greatly only in the first stage-after isometric muscle relaxation (0.05). No statistically significant differences were found for the rest of the stages (0.05).
The tendency of Rimas Tuminas’ directing to the epic form could be noticed already earlier, but i... more The tendency of Rimas Tuminas’ directing to the epic form could be noticed already earlier, but it manifested itself most distinctly in the production "Here Shall Be No Death" (1988), which can be considered a manifesto of a new theatre and a new stage language. Like "Galileo" (1992) after Brecht, this performance concretized the relations of epic theatre, post-dramatic theatre and the theatre of play. The open and free form of the performances, the stress on the process rather than on the result, active involvement of the audience and an ambivalent reception – all these features are common to epic theatre and the theatre of play, and partly to post-dramatic theatre. Also, the performance "Here Shall Be No Death" presented an innovative principle of creation, when the fixed drama text is not necessary and the stress falls on the individuality of an actor rather on the fictional character. In "Galileo", the director’s refusal to construct the s...
Theconceptof “realisticpsychological”theaterstemsfromStanislavsky’stheatermodel,although the usag... more Theconceptof “realisticpsychological”theaterstemsfromStanislavsky’stheatermodel,although the usage of the term itself is complicated as it is associated with the issues regarding interpretations of Stanislavsky’s system. A peculiar “Stanislavsky cult” was present in the USSR for a long time, and his censored system was mandatory for all theaters across the Soviet Union.It can be presumed that “pure Stanislavsky” has been erased from stage practices, and that the creative methods of all prominent Russian directors of the second half of the 20th century were derived from the “sovietised Stanislavsky” that perforated the entire Eastern European theater mindset and its culture. American theater practicians interpreted Stanislavsky’s system in their own way and created a new character creation methodology known as “the method”, based on it.Since Stanislavsky’s theory on character creation can be applied to differentdirectingmodels, it is suggested to dissociate the term of psychological ...
Culture Crossroads, Dec 28, 2022
In the West, theater has always been strongly associated with city culture and urbanization proce... more In the West, theater has always been strongly associated with city culture and urbanization processes. By combining the methods and insights of the arts and psychology, the article aims to explore the impact of the city and non-city environments on the work of theater artists, to find out what happens when a creator withdraws from a usual city environment. Qualitative approach-case study analysis-is applied in this research by interviewing two theater artists. The research identified four meta-themes: move back and forth, together and separately, change of perspective, create a new universe. Analysis of the aforementioned themes revealed that withdrawal from the city, as from the usual creative space, is useful and productive for the theater artists, but becomes meaningful only when the latter come back to the city. The metaphor of the spring is suitable for describing this process: creativity is most stimulated by dynamics of withdrawals and returns, which determines the change of perspectives and, at the same time, creative states, rather than withdrawal from the city itself. Withdrawal provides impulses for new universes to emerge: both in the aesthetic plane of creation and in the psychological plane.
In the theatre of Rimas Tuminas various sorts of memory, materialized in the suggestive scenic fo... more In the theatre of Rimas Tuminas various sorts of memory, materialized in the suggestive scenic forms, are topical. They involve historical and cultural, individual and collective memory, theatrical memory in general and the memory of the Small Theatre of Vilnius. In this respect, two performances of Rimas Tuminas are of major importance: Smile Upon Us, Lord based on the novels by Grigorijus Kanovičius (1994) and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (2005). In these performances Tuminas uses different aspects of the ritual when seeking to invoke the cultural, personal and collective memory, while he represents the memory of theatrical culture using mainly the devices of the theatre of play
Henrikas Kačinskas appeared in all the three performances directed by Mikhail Chekhov in the Stat... more Henrikas Kačinskas appeared in all the three performances directed by Mikhail Chekhov in the State Theatre in 1932 and 1933: he played the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Malvolio in The Twelfth Night and Chlestakov in Nikolay Gogol's Revizor (The Inspector General). Chekhov started giving his lessons to the actors of the State Theatre in August of 1932, and the first performance of Hamlet was presented on October 11 of the same year. Already from the first training sessions Chekhov trained in actors the inner flexibility or, in his words, „jugglery", and encouraged them to fill every role with inner energy. His central idea was to merge two actors in one role - the exterior and the interior one; in other words, he sought to combine a deep psychological analysis and an expressive character. Chekhov's lessons had a crucial effect on Kačinskas' further development as an actor. It may be said that in terms of their artistic nature they were twin souls. ...
This article attempts to reveal the reflections of romanticism as an expression of a world-view a... more This article attempts to reveal the reflections of romanticism as an expression of a world-view and method in the works of director Rimas Tuminas. Considering the playful nature of romanticism, the poetics and aesthetics of Tuminas’ plays are analyzed through a prism of game theory. The playful aesthetics of Tuminas’ plays is perceived through the director’s romantic-joking outlook, which determines a special relationship with the drama texts, genre transformations in plays and the stylistic polyvalence. Tuminas’ playful stage direction strategy could be characterized as bringing together what is far apart, and joining what is separate, while maintaining a harmonious entirety. The most important features of scenic aesthetics – visualization, emotionality and irrationality – attest to the touch of romanticism’s aesthetics. The characters of Tuminas’ plays are also largely romantic heroes fully indulged into acting. Although the art of acting in Tuminas’ plays is based on thorough psychological analysis, it is also close to the “game”. The game’s essence is the joy experienced in submerging oneself into an illusion
Numanities - arts and humanities in progress, Dec 2, 2017
The article reveals the specifics of artistic research and the controversies of its assessment. I... more The article reveals the specifics of artistic research and the controversies of its assessment. It shares the view that the goal of artistic research is to contribute both to the artistic universe and to the sphere of academia while using artistic production; however, it asks how it is possible, or if it is possible at all, to transmit new knowledge through the artwork. While discussing the premises for the rise of artistic research , the article introduces different concepts of knowledge , paying special attention to the notion of embodied knowledge. Further, the article proposes two approaches to artistic research —idealistic and pragmatic. Finally, it focuses on the topic of research in acting and discusses the relevant research outcome. In conclusion the article suggests that the most valuable thing about artistic research is consolidation of academic and artistic interests in order to produce innovative visions of future art.
Routledge eBooks, Jul 18, 2023
Pamiętnik Teatralny, Mar 18, 2022
with in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The research resulted in selection of fo... more with in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The research resulted in selection of four meta-themes that emerged from the interviewing material: "city is bustle, " "to withdraw in order to come back, " "I am no one without others, " "beyond aesthetics, " with the theme of withdrawal as the essential axis. The analysis of these meta-themes in phenomenological perspective revealed how withdrawals help Masalskis to realize his vision of the theater. For Masalskis, withdrawals are the way not only to produce a new performance, but also to go further-to deepen anthropological reflection, to develop pedagogical methods, to discover unusual perspectives, to strengthen ethical principles, and, finally, to search for the source of creativity in a calm and focused manner.
Menotyra, Jul 13, 2019
Kūrybos ir tyrimų srityse teatrui vaikams ir jaunajai auditorijai vis dar kovojant už lygias teis... more Kūrybos ir tyrimų srityse teatrui vaikams ir jaunajai auditorijai vis dar kovojant už lygias teises, straipsnyje siekiama pristatyti šiuolaikinį teatrą vaikams kaip savitą scenos meno formą. Teigiama, kad jos išskirtinumą lemia temos ir formos bei raiškos priemonių parinkimas atsižvelgiant į kognityvinius gebėjimus pagal publikos amžiaus tarpsnius, o teigiamą spektaklio poveikį užtikrina pasiruošimas teatrinei patirčiai bei jos reflektavimas su suaugusiųjų pagalba. Kaip gerosios praktikos pavyzdžiai analizuojami Lietuvoje rengiamo tarptautinio festivalio vaikams ir jaunimui "KITOKS" pristatomi spektakliai bei choreografės Birutės Banevičiūtės šokio spektakliai kūdikiams. Atskleidžiama, kad spektakliai kūdikiams ir spektakliai vyresniems vaikams-tai visiškai atskiri pasauliai, kuriems sukurti reikia specifinių žinių ir gebėjimų. Šios scenos meno formos iš pagrindų griauna Lietuvoje vis dar populiarią "spektaklio visai šeimai" koncepciją.
Future actors – current art students – are an overlooked minority population, whose dynamic healt... more Future actors – current art students – are an overlooked minority population, whose dynamic health processes have not been studied enough. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess dynamic characteristics of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre students’ ECG parameters during different genre roles. Results of the study revealed that the discriminant of the regulatory and supplying systems was decreasing through different stages of the research. Also, the results showed that average discriminant values were significantly different only during the first stage - post-isometric muscle relaxation (p<0,05). Both – during different genre roles and autogenic training – statistically significant differences were not found (p≥0,05).
Journal of complexity in health sciences, Dec 31, 2020
The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamic characteristics of ECG parameters while perfor... more The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamic characteristics of ECG parameters while performing different genre roles played by students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Discriminant of the matrix was employed to assess the strength of the relation between a pair of two parameter sequences. The results of the conducted research showed that discriminant of regulatory and supplying systems decreased at different stages of the study process. In addition, the results revealed that the average discriminant values vary greatly only in the first stage-after isometric muscle relaxation (0.05). No statistically significant differences were found for the rest of the stages (0.05).
The tendency of Rimas Tuminas’ directing to the epic form could be noticed already earlier, but i... more The tendency of Rimas Tuminas’ directing to the epic form could be noticed already earlier, but it manifested itself most distinctly in the production "Here Shall Be No Death" (1988), which can be considered a manifesto of a new theatre and a new stage language. Like "Galileo" (1992) after Brecht, this performance concretized the relations of epic theatre, post-dramatic theatre and the theatre of play. The open and free form of the performances, the stress on the process rather than on the result, active involvement of the audience and an ambivalent reception – all these features are common to epic theatre and the theatre of play, and partly to post-dramatic theatre. Also, the performance "Here Shall Be No Death" presented an innovative principle of creation, when the fixed drama text is not necessary and the stress falls on the individuality of an actor rather on the fictional character. In "Galileo", the director’s refusal to construct the s...
Theconceptof “realisticpsychological”theaterstemsfromStanislavsky’stheatermodel,although the usag... more Theconceptof “realisticpsychological”theaterstemsfromStanislavsky’stheatermodel,although the usage of the term itself is complicated as it is associated with the issues regarding interpretations of Stanislavsky’s system. A peculiar “Stanislavsky cult” was present in the USSR for a long time, and his censored system was mandatory for all theaters across the Soviet Union.It can be presumed that “pure Stanislavsky” has been erased from stage practices, and that the creative methods of all prominent Russian directors of the second half of the 20th century were derived from the “sovietised Stanislavsky” that perforated the entire Eastern European theater mindset and its culture. American theater practicians interpreted Stanislavsky’s system in their own way and created a new character creation methodology known as “the method”, based on it.Since Stanislavsky’s theory on character creation can be applied to differentdirectingmodels, it is suggested to dissociate the term of psychological ...
Culture Crossroads, Dec 28, 2022
In the West, theater has always been strongly associated with city culture and urbanization proce... more In the West, theater has always been strongly associated with city culture and urbanization processes. By combining the methods and insights of the arts and psychology, the article aims to explore the impact of the city and non-city environments on the work of theater artists, to find out what happens when a creator withdraws from a usual city environment. Qualitative approach-case study analysis-is applied in this research by interviewing two theater artists. The research identified four meta-themes: move back and forth, together and separately, change of perspective, create a new universe. Analysis of the aforementioned themes revealed that withdrawal from the city, as from the usual creative space, is useful and productive for the theater artists, but becomes meaningful only when the latter come back to the city. The metaphor of the spring is suitable for describing this process: creativity is most stimulated by dynamics of withdrawals and returns, which determines the change of perspectives and, at the same time, creative states, rather than withdrawal from the city itself. Withdrawal provides impulses for new universes to emerge: both in the aesthetic plane of creation and in the psychological plane.
In the theatre of Rimas Tuminas various sorts of memory, materialized in the suggestive scenic fo... more In the theatre of Rimas Tuminas various sorts of memory, materialized in the suggestive scenic forms, are topical. They involve historical and cultural, individual and collective memory, theatrical memory in general and the memory of the Small Theatre of Vilnius. In this respect, two performances of Rimas Tuminas are of major importance: Smile Upon Us, Lord based on the novels by Grigorijus Kanovičius (1994) and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (2005). In these performances Tuminas uses different aspects of the ritual when seeking to invoke the cultural, personal and collective memory, while he represents the memory of theatrical culture using mainly the devices of the theatre of play
Henrikas Kačinskas appeared in all the three performances directed by Mikhail Chekhov in the Stat... more Henrikas Kačinskas appeared in all the three performances directed by Mikhail Chekhov in the State Theatre in 1932 and 1933: he played the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Malvolio in The Twelfth Night and Chlestakov in Nikolay Gogol's Revizor (The Inspector General). Chekhov started giving his lessons to the actors of the State Theatre in August of 1932, and the first performance of Hamlet was presented on October 11 of the same year. Already from the first training sessions Chekhov trained in actors the inner flexibility or, in his words, „jugglery", and encouraged them to fill every role with inner energy. His central idea was to merge two actors in one role - the exterior and the interior one; in other words, he sought to combine a deep psychological analysis and an expressive character. Chekhov's lessons had a crucial effect on Kačinskas' further development as an actor. It may be said that in terms of their artistic nature they were twin souls. ...