Marius von Mayenburg "MARTYR" (Dir. Agnius Jankevičius)

The play is performed in Russian with Lithuanian subtitles Marius von Mayenburg's "Martyr" ("Märtyrer") has been and continues to be staged in many European theaters. The play tells the story of Benjamin, a teenager raised by a single mother. When Benjamin's mother is informed that her son is having trouble at school, her first thought is drugs. But the boy has hooked himself on a different kind of drug – the Bible. The student finds all his answers in the Holy Scriptures, turning them into a tool to torture and terrorize those around him. Benjamin believes he is the only one who knows what is right and what is wrong. This leads to conflicts, confrontation, and psychological warfare. At school, he declares war on depravity. For instance, he refuses to go swimming in the pool because girls in bikinis offend his religious feelings. And that is only the beginning. Playwright M. von Mayenburg wrote "Martyr" in 2012, and staged it himself that same year at the Schaubühne theater in Berlin. Comprising 27 short, concise scenes, the play resembles a film script. Its thematic scope is broad and highly relevant, exploring the clash of ideas, the role of extremism and religion in society, and exposing the contradictions, division, and threat of fanaticism in Western society, and how it correlates with religion. The play reveals the complete bewilderment of adults and society when confronted with Christian radicalism. Theater critics compare the effect of this play to the explosion of a hand grenade – the text exposes neoliberalism, political correctness, and tolerance, while openly criticizing the prejudices that seduce young minds. In "Martyr", it is no coincidence that the madness and passions of sexual and social maturation are equated with religious zeal. Theater critic Andrius Jevsejevas, reviewing three 2015 productions of M. von Mayenburg's "Martyr" in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, emphasizes that Benjamin Südel refuses to compromise, constantly causing turmoil and getting involved in conflicts with his single mother, classmates...

Adresas: Vilniaus senasis teatras