Oskaras Koršunovas

Oskaras Koršunovas (born 1969 in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian theatre director.

Between 1988 and 1994, he studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania and received bachelor's and master's degrees in theatre directing. After graduating, he staged more than 20 performances, first at Academic Drama Theatre of Lithuania, later at Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT) established by him in 1998. He has created his own personal style and established the concept of his theatre. He focuses on present-day reality, chaos and paradox, absurdity and fragmentation. In 2002 he won the Lithuanian National Prize and the European New Reality Prize.

List of directed plays

• 1990 Here to be There ("Ten būti čia") (play by Aleksandr Vvedenski and Daniil Kharms at Music Academy of Lithuania/ Academic Drama Theatre / Youth Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania);
• 1992 The Old Woman ("Senė") (play by Daniil Kharms, Academic Drama Theatre);
• 1993 Jelizaveta Bam (play Daniil Kharms, Parchem City Theatre, Germany);
• 1994 Hello Sonia New Year ("Labas Sonia Nauji metai") (play by Aleksandr Vvedenski, Academic Drama Theater);
• 1994 The Old Woman 2 ("Senė 2") (play by Daniil Kharms, Academic Drama Theatre);
• 1995 The Flying Dutchman ("Skrajojantis olandas") (opera by Richard Wagner, National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Lithuania);
• 1997 P.S. Byla OK (play by Sigitas Parulskis, Academic Drama Theatre);
• 1998 Roberto Zucco (play by Bernard-Marie Koltès, Academic Drama Theatre);
• 1998 Jelizaveta Bam (play Daniil Kharms, "Studio" theatre, Warszawa, Poland);
• 1998 Coco (play by Bernard-Marie Koltès, OKT / National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Lithuania);
• 1999 Shopping and Fucking (play by Mark Ravenhill, OKT);
• 1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream ("Vasarvidžio nakties sapnas") (play by William Shakespeare, OKT);
• 2000 Vienos nakties susitikimas (play by Goran Stefanofski, EU - Culture 2000, THEOREM / Institute of Sweden);
• 2000 Fireface ("Ugnies veidas") (play by Marius von Mayenburg, OKT);
• 2000 The Master and Margarita ("Meistras ir Margarita") (based on novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, adaptation by Sigitas Paruliskis, OKT);
• 2001 Klepsidros sanatorija (based on short stories by Bruno Schultz, "Studio" theatre, Warszawa, Poland);
• 2001 Mes ne pyragai (based on writings by Daniil Kharms and Aleksandr VVedenski, Oslo National Drama Theatre, Norway);
• 2001 The Parasites ("Parazitai") (play by Marius von Mayenburg, OKT);
• 2002 Crave ("Geismas") (play by Sarah Kane, co-directed with Povilas Laurinkus, OKT);
• 2002 Oedipus the King ("Oidipas karalius") (play by Sophocles, OKT);
• 2003 Winter (play by Jon Fosse, Oslo National Drama Theatre / Torshovteatret);
• 2003 Cleansed (play by Sarah Kane, Stockholm Royal Drama Theatre, "Elverket" Scene, Sweden);
• 2003 The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ("Įstabioji ir graudžioji Romeo ir Džuljetos istorija") (play by William Shakespeare, OKT);
• 2003 Vienatvė dviese (play by Sigitas Parulskis, OKT/Festival Les Boreales, Caen France);
• 2004 The Cold Child ("Šaltas vaikas") (play by Marius von Mayenburg, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Lithuania);
• 2004 Cantio (play by Sharon Lynn Joyce and Vykintas Baltakas, OKT / München Bienále/ Gaida);
• 2005 City ("Miestas") (play by Yevgeni Grishkovets, co-directed with Saulius Mykolaitis, OKT);
• 2005 Death of Tarelkin (play by A.Suchov-Kobylin, Moscow Theatre "Et-cetera", Russia);
• 2005 Based on a truth Story(play by Almir Imsirevic, Moscow Theatre "Et-cetera", Russia);
• 2005 Vaidinant auką (play by Vladimir Presniakov and Oleg Presniakov, OKT).
• 2006 To Damascus (play by August Strindberg, Oslo National Drama Theatre, Norway);
• 2006 Grimo opera (play by Birutė Mar, OKT).

Awards

• Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here, 1990, 1991
• Special prize at the Torun International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here), 1991,
• The best director's work at the St. Petersburg International Theatre Festival (plays There to Be Here, The Old Woman 1993,
• Prize at the Sevastopol International Theatre Festival (play There to Be Here), 1993,
• Prize of the magazine St. Petersburg Theatre Review (play There to Be Here, 1993
• Prize from the 'Lithuanian Theatre Union (play Hello Sonya New Year), 1994,
• The Bank of Scotland Herald Angels prize at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival (play Hello Sonya New Year, 1995,
• Lithuanian Theatre association Award Kristoforas for the best young artist (trilogy plays There to Be Here, The Old Woman, Hello Sonya New Year), 1995,
• Special prize at the Riga Theatre Festival (play P.S. File O.K.), 1997,
• Prize at the Torun International Theatre Festival for the best young director (play Old Woman 2), 1998,
• Lithuanian Theatre Award association 'Kristoforas' for the best director (plays Shopping and Fucking and A Midsummer Night's Dream), 2000,
• 2nd award at the Torun International Theatre Festival (play A Midsummer Night's Dream), 2000,
• European Theatre Unions award Europe Theatre Prize for New Theatrical Realities, 2001,
• Best young director prize at the MESS Festival, Sarajevo, (play The Master and Margarita), 2001,
• Young Directors Project Award at Salzburg International Theatre Festival (play Oedipus Rex), 2002,
• The Lithuanian National Prize of Culture and Art (play Oedipus Rex), 2002,
• Critic's prize at the MESS Festival, Sarajevo, (play Oedipus Rex), 2003,
• The Lithuanian Institute award, 2004,
• Lithuanian Theatre Award (plays 'Romeo and Juliet, Cold Child), 2004,
• Mira Trailovic Grand Prix at Belgrade International Theatre Festival (play Romeo and Juliet), 2004.
• Norwegian Hedda Award 2013: Best directors work ("Peer Gynt" at The Torshov Theatre/The National Theatre in Oslo),

External links

• (English)Official Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT) site
• (English)Theatre: Between Modernism and Postmodernism (article on modern Lithuanian theatre)
• (Italian)Interview with Korsunovas by the Italian critic Gherardo Vitali Rosati