Principles of Japanese Noh and Butoh Theatre in the Solo Performance and the Play “Words in the Sand” by Birutė Mar

Abstract

In this article, the author focuses on the solo performance “Words in the Sand” (Žodžiai smėlyje, based on Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days, premiere in 1998) by Birutė Mar, one of the most prominent creators of solo performances in Lithuania, with the aim of defining the originality in the interpretation of this representative drama of the absurd, produced by the actor. The creative principles of the Japanese theatre noh and butoh are observed in this performance, which makes it possible to talk about an original intersection of the ideas of Western existentialism and Eastern philosophy and aesthetics. Emphasis is placed on the specific performativity of the solo performer. The author suggests that while creating her personal “holy” theatre (a notion introduced by Peter Brook), Birutė Mar renews the “traditional” metaphysical thinking in Lithuanian theatre, which she combines with original and contemporary ways of artistic expression.