Ха́та – Zuhause

Kamilė Gudmonaitė (born in 1992) is one of the great young talents of Lithuanian theatre. She is also a singer in her own band. She likes to compose her theatrical productions out of situations between people in conflict: Gudmonaitė has already arranged the generational conflict between parents who grew up as part of the Soviet Union and their children into a musical choral project. In another piece, she worked with life prisoners and relatives of their victims.

For “Ха́та”, which means “house” or “home” in both Ukrainian and Russian, Gudmonaitė is working with a Ukrainian choir and a Russian dance troupe. The artist’s personal concern as a Lithuanian who fears an escalation of the war motivated her to embark on this theatrical experiment. The war begun by Russia has opened up an abyss, unleashing hatred, guilt, shame and unspeakable suffering.

“Ха́та” is not just about reconciliation: it also explores the artistic possibility of finding a way to express the chasm between the two societies and people. To do so, documentary sequences from filmed interviews are juxtaposed with Ukrainian choral singing and Russian folk dance.

What comes after hate?