Dorian

Translated by Dominykas Norkūnas

Dorian is a premiere by world-recognised director Robert Wilson in the National Kaunas Drama Theatre; it has been created together with the D’haus Theatre (Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus) in Germany, Düsseldorf. Robert Wilson is one of the most significant theatre creators of our times, who has changed the audience’s comprehension of the process taking place on the stage. His creations combine elements from dance, performance, architecture, painting, music, and drama.

Painter Basil Hallward is as if possessed by the young Dorian Grey posing for him. Dorian desires that the painting would get old instead of him, while he would stay forever young and dashing. His wish comes true; alas, it becomes a curse.
Painter Francis Bacon surprises a petty burglar George Dyer, who has broken into his studio at night. Instead of calling the police, he suggests
Dyer to become his model. They become a couple. Bacon constantly paints his beloved one. However, this love and sudden fame of being a model finally bring Dyer to his death.
Poet Oscar Wilde is famous for turning his life into art and art — into his life. He is a darling of London society. Nevertheless, his fame fizzles out, when the father of his lover Alfred Douglas convicts him of “gross indecency”. Oscar Wilde is sentenced and sent to prison. He comes out of it totally broken.
American author Darryl Pinckney connects these three stories that are more or less made-up but filled with deep truths into associative threads of narrative in which memories, experiences, thoughts, and feelings are intertwined. The Dorian of his creation is a painter, model, poet, and lover, while his thoughts and actions remind us of an alley cat.
By putting on the performance based on Pinckney’s text, Robert Wilson develops a compelling stream of images. While the stagings of the Sandman or Jungle Book are full of characters, this time the director is creating a really concentrated monodrama. In the version of Dorian created in the Düsseldorf theatre, Wilson works with Christian Friedel, who has created roles in several performances of the director and has a perfect sense of his style. During the performance, we will hear songs performed by him and his group “Woods of Birnam”. In the NKDT version, after the casting process, the director decided to work with two actors from different generations: Dainius Svobonas and Mantas Zemleckas.
In Dorian, theatre magician Robert Wilson takes us on a fascinating journey investigating complex relationships between artists and their creations. The performance speaks of love and craving for recognition, about the miracle of art and the destructive power of narrow-minded society.