Presented as Lithuania’s national entry for the 2019 Venice Biennale, Sun & Sea’s all-female creative team – director Rugilė Barzdžiukaite, librettist Vaiva Grainytė, and artist and composer Lina Lapelytė – received the event’s top award, the Golden Lion.
Using several tons of sand to transform each venue into a lively beach, sunbathing characters offer up a range of seductive harmonies and melodic stories that glide between the mundane, the sinister, and the surreal. From the sprawling narrative of their lives emerges a piercing exploration of climate change, shining light on the complex relationship between people and our planet. The piece is brought to life by 13 vocalists who are surrounded by local community members acting as fellow beach-goers in each city.
Production
Produced by: Sun&Sea
Founding Producer: Neon Realism
Creative
Concept and development: Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė
Director and set designer: Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė
Lyrics: Vaiva Grainytė
Composer and music director: Lina Lapelytė
Curator: Lucia Pietroiusti
Tour producer: Caroline Smith
Production manager / Stage manager: Erika Urbelevič
Technical directors: Lique Van Gerven, Dovydas Korba
Libretto translation (from Lithuanian to English): Rimas Užgiris
Libretto translation (from Lithuanian to Polish): Agnieszka Rembiałkowska
Sound engineer: Romuald Chaloin Galiauskas