ABOUT

The Baltic Drama Forum is a yearly event that travels between the Baltic countries. This year it’s landing in Vilnius as a conference that brings together theatre theoretics, thinkers, critics, and practitioners. The organisers are inviting to discuss the issues of artistic activism, representation of resistance, political and social issues in the artworks, practices in cultural economics and cultural management.

Keynotes of the conference: theatre director Katie Mitchell (UK), theatre academic, dramaturg and critic Bryce Lease (UK), cultural economist Aleksandra Wisniewska (PL), cultural policy expert Daina Smolskutė-Urbanavičienė (LT), Loreta Skurvydaitė Dean of Faculty of History, Vilnius university (LT). The keynotes will be followed by more than 10 presentations by scholars and artists from Baltic and other countries.

Dates of the conference: 23-25 September, 2025. Language of the conference: English. 

The participation in the conference is free of charge, registration is needed

PROGRAMME

Note: the full programme with all the presentations will be announced Mid September 

September 23rd , Vilnius University (Universiteto street, 3)

9:30 – 10:00 Registration and welcome coffee

10:00-10:30  Opening of the forum

10:30-11:30 Keynote by Loreta Skurvydaitė, Phd, Dean of Faculty of History, Vilnius University

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:00 Presentations session

13:30-14:30 Lunch

14:30-16:00 Presentations session

16:00-17:30 Tour in VU historical building and library (optional)

September 24th, Vilnius University (Universiteto street, 3)

9:30 – 10:00 Registration and coffee

10:00-11:00 Keynote by Bryce Lease, PhD, Theatre academic, dramaturg and critic

11:00-11:30 Keynote by Katie Mitchell, Theatre director

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:00 Presentations session

13:30-14:30 Lunch

14:30-16:00 Presentations session

16:00-16:30 Coffee break

16:30-17:30 Discussion “Cultural economics and producing cultural projects” moderated by producer and cultural economist Rusnė Kregždaitė, PhD

September 25th, Lithuanian academy of music and theatre (Olandų street 21A)

9:30-10:00 Registration and coffee

10:00-10:45 Keynote by Daina Smolskutė - Urbanavičienė, former vice minister of culture and former chair of Lithuanian Council for culture

10:45-11:30 Keynote by Aleksandra Wiśniewska, PhD, Deputy Director of Financial and Organizational Affair of TR theatre (Warsaw)

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:00 Presentations session

13:30-14:30 Lunch

14:30-15:30 Discussion “Theatre festivals in contemporary arts ecosystems” moderated by theatre director Naubertas Jasinskas

15:30-16:00 Closing of the forum

CURATORS:

Theatre producer and cultural economics researcher Rusnė Kregždaitė and theatre director Naubertas Jasinskas.T

SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE

Dr. Rusnė Kregždaitė (MMLAB Theatre, Vilnius University),
Dr. Ramunė Balevičiūtė (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre),
Dr. Goda Dapšytė (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre),
Dr. Martynas Petrikas (Vilnius University),
Naubertas Jasinskas (independent theatre director),
Kristė Agota Savė (Lithuanian Theatre Centre)

ORGANISERS

MMLAB theatre, Lithuanian Theatre Centre, Vilnius University, Faculty of Communication, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Department of History and Theory of Art

PARTNERS

Latvian Theatre Union (LTDS), Estonian Theatre Agency

FUNDED BY

Go Vilnius, British Council, Vilnius city municipality