Kazys Binkis. THE UNDERGROWTH

Kazys Binkis (1893-1942) – Lithuanian poet, playwright, translator, writer. He was the initiator and leader of the literary group The Four Winds, worked as a journalist, wrote poetry, plays, humoristic poetry, and feuilletons, published children’s poetry books, translated works by Alexander Pushkin, Luigi Pirandello, and other authors.

"The Undergrowth" is the first and most famous Kazys Binkis’s play, written in 1938. This play has been staged in all the biggest Lithuanian theatres, has also received considerable attention in Latvian and Estonian theatres. The author himself once wrote about his own work: “While writing this piece I slightly tricked theatre in such sense that the outcome resulted in a play, targeted at youth of very wide age span – from 12 to 60 years and even more. This was completely unintentional. Youth, when taken out of its environment, turns colorless. A young person’s type and psyche may only be understood by taking into account the environment, where such a person grows up, matures and forms his or her character. Therefore there emerged a need to touch upon a youth’s life in the family, his or her tutors, mentors, and teachers in science and practical work. The play equally depicts pupils, working youth, mentors, teachers, and skilful workshop masters. Moreover, the play depicts Lithuanian youth, brought up in our familiar environment.“ (1938)

The new version of "The Undergrowth" will be directed by the famous Lithuanian director, the 2004 Lithuanian National Prize winner Jonas Vaitkus, who will be working with several generations of actors in the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. During his four decades of work, Vaitkus has staged over 80 plays in Lithuania and abroad (Stockholm, Saint Petersburg, Oslo, Tokyo).