Domas Raibys Won the European Residency Program Competition Organized by the LNDT

Domas Raibys. Photo by Anta Marija Antanavičiūtė

The Lithuanian National Drama Theater, seeking to encourage the creation of new stage texts, has been organizing the European Residency Program competition for the fourth consecutive year in collaboration with partners from France, Spain, Belgium, and Croatia. Each partner selects a representative for their country. This year, out of 11 other candidates, comedian and writer Domas Raibys won the competition in Lithuania, after presenting the jury with an idea for a black comedy about birds.

Contest participants were invited to propose ideas for future texts on the topic of “More Than Human” and to explore a world in which a person is no longer the sole protagonist or the center of the narrative.

According to the jury members, the ideas submitted by Gediminas Cibulskis, Sandra Bernotaitė, Naubertas Jasinskas, Goda Simonaitytė, and Justas Tertelis stood out among the entries, but it was Domas Raibys’ vision that proved to be the most original.

“Every competition presents the challenge of comparing and evaluating very different ideas, weighing both the artists’ experience and the potential of the written work on stage. We read through a pile of conceptual and daring proposals until, finally, our eyes were drawn to Domas’ vision – seemingly very simple and human, centered on a real skylark and a fictional robotic bird. We hope that the author will be able to take advantage of the opportunity offered by international residencies, listen to the voices of different birds, and create the planned play – a dark humor comedy about chirping, screeching, and clamor,” – say the committee members: Playwright and Member of the LNDT Artistic Board Mindaugas Nastaravičius, Theater Scholar Rimgailė Renevytė, Actress and Member of the LNDT Artistic Board Rasa Samuolytė, Members of the Creative Collective random heroes Naglis Kristijonas Zakaras and Rokas Valiauga, and Agnė Pulokaitė, Curator of the European Residency Program.

“I feel like a basketball player who was spotted playing in the yard and invited to join a team. I took my first professional creative steps in the genre of stand-up comedy, which was still unknown in Lithuania at the time. Later, I started organizing poetry slams. Both genres are inseparable from individuality and the ability to write quickly, because the audience expects something new every time. Professionally, I view this residency as an opportunity to transition from an individual sprint to a team marathon.

And I will try to explore the theme “More Than Human” by interviewing Lithuanian birds. I will try to create a world where birds have the chance to say what they think of us,” says the winner of the competition, Domas Raibys.

Previous participants in this program include Žygimantas Kudirka (2023), Karolis Kaupinis (2024), and Kristina Steiblytė (2025). All their plays were presented to audiences at the “Versmė” dramaturgy festival, and Kaupinis’ work, “Obituaries of Lithuanians: The Story of a Single Play,” will be staged at the LNDT Grand Stage on 10–12 April. The premiere of the play based on Kristina Steiblytė’s “Sargas” is scheduled for next spring.

Domas Raibys’ new play, which he will develop at the Spanish National Theater in Madrid, at the Royal Flemish Theater in Brussels, and at “Actoral,” an international festival of contemporary art and writing taking place in Marseille, will be presented to Lithuanian audiences in 2027 at the “Versmė” drama festival.