20.01.2018

The State Youth Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania

The Brothers Lionheart is one of the most extraordinary book for children. It has been filmed and staged for theatres a number of times in full version.

We wish to stage The Brothers Lionheart  in a new version that opens up the fantasy and the imagination of children and young people. The concept is to tell the story by sounds, visuals and voices, evoked from a darkened room.
We follow the story as written. Short dialogues are carefully chosen to give space for soundscapes and visuals. Some of the side stories are not included but we keep the essential contents of the narrative: Disease, loneliness, death, waiting hours, longing, secrets, betrayal, tyranny, and rebellion. Other themes are love and loyalty between two brothers, hope, courage, confidence and finding your own self.
From the book we keep the fundamental contrast between the beautiful, enigmatic landscapes, danger in the nature and the cruelty of the tyran, shown as visuals and projections. Actors´ faces and bodies appear in glimpses of light while images open the space in short moments.
By shortening the text from the book we want to concentrate on the emotional relation of Karl and his inner world. Karl Lionheart is the storyteller. He tells about what he feels and imagines, he evokes the character of the landscapes, he unfolds the emotional layers of the story. He spellbinds the audience with the spoken word. Karl links the end and the beginning together.

The staging includes the main characters from the story who appear and disappear in Karl´s universe: Jonathan, Sofie, Jossi, Hubert, Mathias, Veder, Kader, Tengil, Orvar, Tengilmen besides doves, horses, wolves and dragons.

Long calm moments and active sequences alternate. Light, fog, shadows and different qualities of darkness are essential sensual elements to enhance the emotions of The Brothers Lionheart.

Most importantly, we show less than all to tricker the imagination of every spectator.

9 actors
Duration 75 min.