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On September 6, 7, and 23, the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre will have the premiere of the performance “Icarus.” Based on an ancient Greek myth, the work explores humanity’s attempts to achieve the impossible and recalls early efforts to fly. This is the first authorial work by contemporary circus artist Džiugas Kunsmanas, aimed at audiences aged 10–15 and their families.

“Icarus” tells the story of a human trying to rise above everyday life and achieve a dream that seems out of reach. The metaphor of flight is used—ordinary household objects become imaginative tools that spark creativity and possibility. The performance incorporates various circus techniques (acrobatics, balancing, object manipulation), physical comedy, and video projections.

“I chose this myth because I long wanted to explore the human dream of flying. I tried to imagine what people felt when they watched birds and thought, ‘Oh, how I wish I could rise like that.’ While searching for works that describe such determination, I eventually returned to the ancient Greek myth of Icarus. I am very interested in re-examining this story, because people usually remember only Icarus’ failure—the fact that he fell. In this performance, I wanted to explore the attempt itself, the prehistory of the myth—what was Icarus’ relationship with his parents, what drove him to fly?” explains creator Džiugas Kunsmanas. “Icarus” is his first independent authorial performance.

The performance was created by an international team

The idea’s author and performer, Džiugas Kunsmanas, is a contemporary circus artist known for his work in productions by Gildas Aleksa, Indrė Puišytė, Marius Pinigis, and Adrian Carlo Bibiano. After studying acting at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, he studied circus arts at Flic Scuola di Circo in Turin (Italy). Among its world-class instructors was the internationally recognized Italian contemporary circus director Roberto Magro, who became Kunsmanas’ mentor.

The composer is pianist, experimental electronics creator, and lecturer in electronic sound synthesis Dr. Motiejus Bazaras, who previously worked with international circus creators in the Kaunas 2022 project “Visions.” For this performance, he created music using rare analog synthesizers and electronic instruments.

Scenography and costumes were designed by Kotryna K. Rupainytė, an artist with experience working with various performing arts creators and institutions, including international circus productions. Video projections were created by dancer and video artist Marius Paplauskas, while lighting design, evoking an old cinema atmosphere, was created by emerging artist Monika Šerstabojevaitė.

A vintage-inspired atmosphere

“I drew a lot of inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions and studied aviation and aircraft structures in more detail. Džiugas was particularly inspired by the flight of beetles, so while creating the beetle costume I studied how insect wings move and searched for ways to express their fluidity on stage. In the creative process, several fields merged—da Vinci’s sketches, insect movement mechanics, even space flight. The process is very alive; we constantly experiment with new forms and expressions, but the core remains the same: humanity’s desire to rise from the ground by any means necessary,” explains scenographer Kotryna K. Rupainytė.

“Projections are an important part of the work because everything started from them—I was deeply inspired by the first human attempts to fly. Those we now consider inventors were once ridiculed and thought to be mad. Watching documentary footage of early homemade wings brings a smile—you think, ‘How could that ever work?’ Yet these seemingly absurd experiments are what push humanity forward. They show how important it is to dare to try—you never know, the result might change the world,” says Kunsmanas.

He adds: “Also, those early flyers remind me of circus acrobats. We too are constantly told, ‘Don’t do that, you’ll break something,’ but that risk and excitement are exactly what attract us.”

A year-long creative development

The Kaunas City Chamber Theatre audience first saw an “Icarus” sketch in September 2024 during the international youth theatre festival “Point of Departure,” where it won the sketch competition. A work in progress version was later presented at the international performing arts festival ConTempo, becoming part of the “Baltisches Haus” young creators’ program.

The premiere of “Icarus” will take place at the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre on September 6, 7, and 23. The September 23 performance will open the 10th international youth theatre festival “Point of Departure.” Tickets are available through the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre system. The production is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

Photos by Martynas Plepys