Actor Raimondas Klezys shares stories from his own life with young audience members (the play is intended for teenagers from age 14). Through stories about his childhood, games, TV shows he watched, and conversations with his grandmother, more serious themes emerge, presented in a playful and humorous way.
In this interactive performance, everyone can participate as much as they want, and the audience’s responses shape the play in ever-changing ways. The ball used in the play becomes not only an element of play but also a creative tool that allows the audience to be drawn into a personal narrative through play - one that is open, sensitive, and inviting to recognize oneself in.
"Your father left for warmer climes, and he is a ram," Raimondas’ grandmother told him when he was a child. Are our fathers really rams? Will we grow up to be different from them, or are we exactly the same? The one-man show RAMS is a collaborative work by actor and playwright Raimondas Klezys and director Justas Tertelis and invites to reflect on resentment, anger, and forgiveness - the topics that young people do not always feel comfortable discussing with their peers.
Actor Raimondas Klezys says that phrases like "a flock of sheep" or "as dumb as a sheep" are particularly commonly used in schools. "You can feel like a real sheep living in a flock, for whom the shepherd makes all the decisions, and his real-life counterpart could be anyone - fate, God, a boss, or someone else. In this play, we want to shake up a young person’s mind and ask the question: Are you really doing or learning what you would like to do in your life? Or is it just a culture of imitation, where you do things simply because you are supposed to? Just because those are the rules and that is how your great-grandparents, grandparents, or other relatives did it," explains Raimondas Klezys, explaining the subtext of the play's title.
He adds that theater is a tool of communication, socialization, and analysis. "That is why, by staging this play, I draw the audience into the live action, valuing what is happening here and now. In this way, I strive to create a space where young people are seen, heard, and valued," says the actor.
In 2024, the play RAMS was awarded the Golden Stage Cross as the best play for young audiences.
Producer: “No Shoes Theater”
The play is partially funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
