Adelaide Festival of Arts and the Lithuanian State Theatre

 

The biannual Adelaide Festival of Arts features international performance from around the world.  In 1992 the State Theatre of Lithuania performed two plays as part of the festival, Uncle Vanya and the Square. 

Uncle Vanya written by Anton Chekhov and Directed by Eimuntas Nekrosius, had a cast of 12 actors.  The Square written and directed by Eimuntas Nekrosius, with four actors, two of whom also performed in Uncle Vanya.

The performances received rave reviews, ‘nothing short of superb’ Nick Griffith Advertiser, ‘one of the great theatre events of the 1992 Adelaide Festival’, Peter Ward of the Australian.  Peter Goers, controversial Adelaide theatre critic referred to it as a ‘turkey’ and not worth checking out.  The following day in the letters to the press, Goers was attacked for his ‘ill considered, egotistical, ignorant piece of work’. 

Both plays were performed in Lithuanian with the audience wearing headphones with simultaneous translations.  Performed in the Scott Theatre and Union Hall of Adelaide University, the troop gave eight performance of Uncle Vanya, a play of 3 hours and 15 minutes, and four of the Square, a much shorter performance of 1 hour and 40 minutes. 

The actors
Jurate Aniulyte
Vladas Bagdonas
Saulius Bareikis
Dalia Storyk
Calia Overaite
Elvyra Zebertaviciute
Vidas Petkevicius
Kostas Smorginas
Juozas Pocius
Irena Tamosiunaite
Rimgaudas Karvelis
Vytautas Taukinaitis
Janina Matekonyte
Remigijus Vilkaitis

Adelaide National Dancing group goes to Port Lincoln

In 1964, the Adelaide Lithuanian National Dancing group travelled to the tuna capital of Australia, Port Lincoln. January 24 – 27^th 1964, the annual Tuna festival was held, attracting tourists from all ends of Australia and even around the globe.  The dancing group was invited to the festival led by Bronė Lapšienė.  Friday evening, 28 dancers where chaperoned by Bronė and Vytautas Vosylius aboard a bus that would take them 400 miles from Adelaide. 

Although they were tired, not having slept much during the night bus ride the dancers gave an excellent performance at the festival.  The public were spellbound, the two performances were did not satisfy them.  The group preformed another time on the Sunday evening.

Before every dance, student Antanas Stepanas would broadcast over the microphone a brief introduction to Lithuania, its people, culture, customs, songs and described the dance to be seen.   Antanas then introduced each dancer by name.  During the break, Germanaitė gave a lovely solo recital on the accordion.

The dancers were accommodated in a private home before boarding the bus once again for the long journey home.  The bus driver was able to show some of the highlights of the local area before departing the sea side town.

Lithuanian Days, Adelaide 1968

The most important event in the life of an Australian Lithuanian is the Australian Lithuanian Days, where as many as one fourth of Lithuanians living in Australia attend.  The five day event was held in Adelaide, South Australia, ending in the New Year of 1969. Parallel to the Lithuanian festival is the Lithuanian National Council session, during which a new National Executive is elected.

In Adelaide, one will quickly notice that our community holds the historical and material culture in the form of the Lithuanian Archive and Museum. It is the only such institution in Australia and of great pride for all.

Lithuanian Days and the XIX Sports festival opening ceremony was held at Forestville stadium.  The presence of the community’s youth emphasised the importance of the Lithuanian Days.  Young and old attended the literature and song evening.  10 of the 23 participants in Adelaide’s theatre group ‘Vaidila’ were of the younger generation.   A youth Concert was prepared by the youth with participants from Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney district.  Single and joint choirs, performed a song feast in the Adelaide town hall.

Some countryman, travelled a thousand miles and more for the Lithuanian Days.  Outstanding events included a performance of ‘A fragment of Lithuanian wedding' by Melbourne parish youth, and a joint choir that consisted of six district concert in Adelaide city hall.  Melbourne youth sang and danced at a professional level the wedding performance.  The wedding was prepared by E. Karazijienė and directed by H. Statkuvienė.

The choir was made ​​up of 250 singers from six states, Sydney, Melbourne , Adelaide , Geelong , Canberra and Newcastle.  One after another the choir was conducted by six conductors. Lithuanian songs rose in the hands of J. Juška and from Geelong and K. Kavaliauskas from Sydney. The combined women’s choir touched your heart, under the direction of S. Žukas from Newcastle.

Lithuanian Days is a joint effort by all the Australian Lithuanians, and after 25 years in a new country it still shines with Lithuanian pride.

Lietuvių Dienos Adelaideje 1968

Nėra šnekos, svarbiausias įvykis Australijos lietuvių gyvenime yra Lietuvių Dienos, kurias atšvęsti susirenka kiek vienas ketvirtas Australijoje gyvenčių lietuvių.

Penktosios Lietuvių Dienos įvyko pavyzdingiausioje lietuvių apylinkėje – Adelaide mieste, Pietų Australijoje ir atžymėjo Lietuvos Jubiliejinių Metų pabaiga ir Naujų 1969 Metų pradžią.  Lygiagrečiai su Lietuvių Dienomis vyko Lietuvių Bendruomenės Krašto Tarybos XI-ji sesija, kurios metu buvo išrinkta nauja ALB Krašto Valdyba.

Nuvykęs į Adelaide, lietuvis žmogus greitai pastebi, kad mūsų bendruomenės veikla yra aukštinama, nepraeina nepastebėta, ir kad pastarųjų metų darbas šįmet jau vertinamas kaip istorinis duomuo. Mat, dvasinės ir medžiaginės kulturos palaika yra renkamo, rūšiuojami ir ilgainiui patalpinimai Lietuvių Archyve Muzėjuje.  Tai vienintėle tokia įstaiga Australijoje ir tai yra didelė patrauka ir pasididžiavimas visiems. Archvo-Muzėjaus įkūrejas  ir valdytojas – Jonas K Vanagas. 

Muzėjuje užlaikomi kultūros palaikai iškelia lietuvio žmogaus tapatybę parodo jo sąmoningumo laipsnį ir pabrėžia vieną labai svarbų veiksnį; tautinį pranašumą galima išreikšti ne vien tik politikavimu bet ir kūrybos darbais, tautinės kultūros apraiška.  Ir Lietuvių Dienos yra Australijojs Lietuvių kūrybinės pastangos!

Lietuvių Dienų ir XIX-sios Sporto Šventės iškilmingas atidarymas ivyko Forestville stadione.  Visus nustelbė jaunimas ir svarbu pastebėti, kad jaunimas charakterizavo 1968 metų Lietuvių Dienas.  Tačiau pastangos buvo jungtinės, Lieteraturos ir Dainos vakare dalyvavo ir jauni, ir seni; Adelaide’s teatro ‘Vadila’ pastatyme 10 iš 23 buvo jaunosios kartos atstovai; Jaunimo Koncertą suruošė jaunimas iš Adelaide, Melbourne ir Sydney apylinkių; pavieniuose ir jungtiniuose choruose, kurie suruošė Dainų Šventė Adelaide miesto rotušėje, dalyvavo ir senimas, ir jaunimas.  Bet XIX-ji Sporto Šventė, kuri vyko lygiagrečiai su Lietuvių Dienomis, buvo jaunimo arena pilna ta žodžio prasme.

Nevienas tautietis, keliavęs tūkstantį ir daugiau mylių į Lietuvių Dienas, buvo įspūdžių priblokštas, ir nevieno atmintyje ilgainiui telieka pačios pagrindinės akimirkos.  Tai (1) Fragmentas iš Lietuviškų  Viestuvių’ kuri patiekė Melbourne apylinkė Jaunimo Koncerto metu ir (2) Jungtinio Choro, susidejusio iš šešių apylinkių chorų, koncertas Adelaide miesto rotušėje.

Melbourne jaunimas vykusiai iškėlė lietuvišką savitumą bei vestuvinį nuotaikingumą.  Dainos buvo mielos.  Tautiniai šokiai – iškilmingi; merginos pasiekė profesionalių lygį.  Jos dvelkė meilumu ir orumu, ir visad skaistumu.  Vestuvių tekstą paruošė E. Karazijiene, o režisavo H. Statkuvienė.

Taip kaip ‘Fragmentas iš Lietuviškų Vestuvių’ parodė nevieną subtilią lietuvio žmogaus savybę, taip Jungtinis Choras parodė mūsų bendruomenės pranašumą.  Chorą sudarė apie 250 daininkų iš šešių apylinkių; Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Geelong, Canberra ir Newcastle.  Vienas paskui kitą Chorui dirigavo šeši dirigentai.  Ir lietuviška daina pakilo į aukštybes, kai Chorą paėme į savo ranką J. Juška is Geelong apylinkės ir K. Kavaliauskas iš Sydney.  Kuteno širdį ir vėrė akį Jungtinis Moterų Choras, kuriam vadovavo S. Žukas is Newcastle apylinkės.

Lietuvių Dienos yra bendros visų Australijos lietuvių pastangos.  Tai kūrybinės pastangos.  Ir kad po 25 metų užsienyje ta kūryba yra lietuviška, tai keikvieno lietuvio žmogaus pasididžiavimas.

Baras' concerts

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Stasys Baras

In February 1970 a concert was performed by tenor Stasys Baras at the Adelaide Festival of Arts.  The Lithuanian community invited Mr Baras to Adelaide.  He was described as “one of the leading voices in the world of today.  In 1958, he was selected as the best male singer in the United States at the Chicago Music Festival”. 

He sang lead roles in famous operas such as Faust, Tosca, Carmen, Il Travatore, Aida, Pagliacci, Fidelio, Grazina, Dana with the Lithuanian Opera company in Chicago.  His first record of operatic areas was released in 1966.


For the concert in Adelaide, Mr Baras sang with now Adelaidian, Genovaitė Vasiliauskienė.  She was described as one of the leading sopranos among Lithuanian singers. After finishing the Conservatorium singing classes in Kaunas she studied singing in Germany and in Australia.  For more than 10 years she sang with the ABC radio in Adelaide.  Twice she participated as a soloist in the Adelaide Arts festival.  As a soloist she toured all capital cities in Australia and in the USA and Canada in 1964.  Her first record was recorded in 1969 with the Adelaide Symphony orchestra. 


A well known Adelaide pianist, Shirley Hicks accompanied them.


The two part concert began with Stasys singing three arias from Donaudy, Handel and Giordano.  This was followed by Vasiliauskienė singing four songs.  Stasys followed this with several Lithuanian folk songs. The second half began with a duet from Bizet, followed by three songs sung by Baras.  Vasiliauskienė sang several pieces form operas and the concert ended with Baras singing from Carmen and Halevy.


Stasys Baras returned to Adelaide two years later to perform again in the Adelaide Festival of Arts.  This time he brought Dana Stankaitis, a Lithuanian born soprano who lived in Chicago, USA.  Dana was also a member of the Chicago Opera company and sang leading roles in Carmen, Il Trovatore, Aida, La forza del Destino, Grazina, Dana, Fidelio, Cavalleria Rusticana and other operas.
  
They were again accompanied on piano by Shirley Hicks.


They gave a recital of songs and operatic arias, from Verdi, Bizet.  A concert was also performed at the Adelaide Lithuanian House on 18th March 1972.  Here they sang a number of songs written by Lithuanians, such as Šimkus, Banaitis, Jakubėnas and Gaidelis.

Australian Lithuanian Festivals

Social organizations were established in almost every place where Lithuanians settled in Australia. In December 1950, at a meeting of Lithuanians from all over Australia, the Australian Lithuanian Community (Australijos Lietuvių Bendruomenė ALB) was established. Sport festivals were first organized and then from 1952 a cultural programme was established. One of the aims of the ALB was to foster Lithuanian culture and language, in order to maintain the interests of the younger generations. In 1960 the first festival of Lithuanians from all states met in Sydney. The programme was quite broad; music, national dancing, literature, song evening and an art festival. The number of events have increased over the years.

Every second year Lithuanians gather from all over Australia for a week long festival. In Festival begins on the 26^th of December and culminates in the New Year Eve's Ball. A scout camp follows.

Adelaide held the festival in 1962, 1968, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1994, 2002.

The 27th Australian Lithuanian festival will be held at the end of 2012 in Adelaide once again.

The photograph above was the opening ceremony for the 1988 Festival in Adelaide. A parade of participants walked from the Catholic Cathedral to the Adelaide Town Hall, down King William street. The flag poles down the centre of the road flew Lithuanian flags.

27th Australian Lithuanian Festival in Adelaide LOGO competition

PRIZE: $200.00 for the winning entry

A Logo is needed for the 27th Australian Lithuanian Festival to be held in Adelaide in Dec 2012.

The theme for the festival is “Vilties Liepnsa’ (Flame of hope).

The theme was chosen to represent hope for the survival of our fragile Australian Lithuanian communities. On a global level, it symbolizes the hope Lithuanians have always had, firstly for an independent state and now in surviving economic crisis. Culturally, Lithuanians were pagans, worshiping fire and in modern times the flame is used to represent The Holy Spirit & Light.

The logo will feature on all promotional material, t-shirts, badges, programs etc.The rights of the logo become the property of the Organising Committee and the Committee reserves the right to edit any design. The Organising Committee will be the judges and the decision of the judges is final.

It will need to have the following wording;

• Vilties liepsna

• Adelaide 2012

• XXVII or 27

Please submit entries by August 15th, 2011. Entries or further information can be emailed to

riverhorse@virginbroadband.com.au or cavi0003@hotmail.com; The logo should be sent as .jpg or .pdf attachment. Alternatively, logos can be mailed to LOGO Contest c/o 17 Craigill Rd St Georges SA 5064

nb. Only entries by South Australian Lithuanians will be considered.

For more past images, view the Flickr site, click on the icon to your right.