The Sandman

Vilnius Theatre Lėlė

Lithuania

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Fears, compulsions and madness – The Sandman is a story of one man’s disorientation and collapse, the downfall of his ego. But what Nathanael believes are real, torturing spirits are mere chimera or trifles for his fiancée Clara. The attempt to banish them only brings forth more and hybrid creatures in the form of half-man, half-automaton. Their dream-corridor is nothing but a huge, crooked table, on which puppets, dummies, torsos, masks and other phantoms fight for prime position. Clara falls more and more into the clutches of the imaginary, the metamorphic, and demons bent on seduction – and as this happens, the undoing of the love between her and Nathanael marches inexorably on.

Theatre Lėlė is based in Vilnius’ old town and has its own building and puppet museum. It developed out of the Vilnius Puppet Theatre , which was founded in 1958 by Balys Lukošius. Lėlė’s works pivot between tradition and modernity, and it develops pieces for children as well as adults.