Saulius Mykolaitis
Encyclopedia
Saulius Mykolaitis was a Lithuanian director, actor and singer-songwriter
(bard
).
, a small city in Lithuania
. His parents died while he was still studying at school. Saulius was raised by two older brothers Sigitas and Darius who bought him his first guitar when he was just seven years old.
Saulius Mykolaitis started singing and creating songs at school. After graduating he moved to Vilnius
and joined Music Academy of Lithuania. Initially he studied singing, but soon moved to acting.
From 1988 to 1992 Saulius Mykolaitis studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania under Professor Dalia Tamulevičiūtė and received Bachelors degree in scene art (acting). In 1995 he decided to study for Masters degree and in 1996 acquired qualification as theatre director.
Mykolaitis committed suicide by hanging in 2006 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
, as well as collaborating with Oskaras Koršunovas
Theatre.
During his career in the theatre he created over 20 roles. The most famous were Mercutio
in K. Antanėlis' musical "Love and Death in Verona" (director Eimuntas Nekrošius), Roberto Zucco in Bernard-Marie Koltès
' eponymous play (director Oskaras Koršunovas
), Azzazelo in Mikhail Bulgakov
's "The Master and Margarita
" (director Oskaras Koršunovas), The Painter in Howard Barker
's "Europeans" (director Lary Zappia).
"Stop Machine" was based on Russian satirist's Daniil Charms
' life and short stories, a performance, combining physical and psychological theatre.
"Once Petrushevsky broke his watch and asked to call Pushkin. Pushkin came, took a look at Petrushevsky's watch and put it back on the chair. "So what do you say, brother Pushkin?" - asked Petrushevsky. "Stop machine," - said Pushkin." (Anecdotes from the life of Pushkin)
role
s. The last one was in "Dievų Miškas" (Forest of the Gods
) (2005), a feature directed by Algimantas Puipa.
Saulius Mykolaitis also wrote and performed songs in the genre of sung poetry
, playing the guitar. His first album "Nieko Nepasakyta" ("Nothing's Said") was released in autumn 2005. Posthumously his songs for children's plays were collected in an album called "Nupiešti Pasaulį" ("To Draw the World") (2006), followed by a compilation "Debesys" ("The Clouds") (2007), consisting of non-professional live recordings.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
(bard
Bard (Soviet Union)
The term bard came to be used in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, and continues to be used in Russia today, to refer to singer-songwriters who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment, similarly to beatnik folk singers of the United States...
).
Life
Saulius Mykolaitis was born in RamygalaRamygala
Ramygala is a small city in Lithuania. It is located some south from Panevėžys on the banks of the Upytė River, a tributary to the Nevėžis River. According to 2005 estimate, it had just below 1,700 residents....
, a small city in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. His parents died while he was still studying at school. Saulius was raised by two older brothers Sigitas and Darius who bought him his first guitar when he was just seven years old.
Saulius Mykolaitis started singing and creating songs at school. After graduating he moved to Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and joined Music Academy of Lithuania. Initially he studied singing, but soon moved to acting.
From 1988 to 1992 Saulius Mykolaitis studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania under Professor Dalia Tamulevičiūtė and received Bachelors degree in scene art (acting). In 1995 he decided to study for Masters degree and in 1996 acquired qualification as theatre director.
Mykolaitis committed suicide by hanging in 2006 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Career
From 1992 to 1994 S. Mykolaitis worked in Vilnius' National Mažasis (The Small) Theatre. From 1994 until the end of his life Saulius Mykolaitis was an actor of Lithuanian National Drama TheatreLithuanian National Drama Theatre
Lithuanian National Drama Theatre , located on Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius, is one of the biggest theatres in Lithuania. Since its establishment in 1940, it has staged over 200 performances. The theatre's current repertoire mixes classical and modern theatre Lithuanian National Drama Theatre ,...
, as well as collaborating with Oskaras Koršunovas
Oskaras Koršunovas
Oskaras Koršunovas is a Lithuanian theatre director.Between 1988 and 1994 Oskaras Koršunovas studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in theatre directing...
Theatre.
During his career in the theatre he created over 20 roles. The most famous were Mercutio
Mercutio
Mercutio a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend of Romeo, and Romeo's cousin Benvolio, and also a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, being neither a Montague nor a Capulet, Mercutio is one of the few in Verona...
in K. Antanėlis' musical "Love and Death in Verona" (director Eimuntas Nekrošius), Roberto Zucco in Bernard-Marie Koltès
Bernard-Marie Koltès
Bernard-Marie Koltès was a French playwright and director.-Life:Born in 1948 to a middle-class family in Metz, his life was violent and anchored in revolt. He tried his hand at writing at a very young age but later renounced it, and didn't take to the stage until the age of twenty...
' eponymous play (director Oskaras Koršunovas
Oskaras Koršunovas
Oskaras Koršunovas is a Lithuanian theatre director.Between 1988 and 1994 Oskaras Koršunovas studied at the Music Academy of Lithuania and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in theatre directing...
), Azzazelo in Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
's "The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
" (director Oskaras Koršunovas), The Painter in Howard Barker
Howard Barker
Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
's "Europeans" (director Lary Zappia).
Directed plays
Not only did Mykolaitis perform in other directors' plays, but he had also directed - and received renown for - several productions himself, the most important being (in which he also played leads), "Stop Machine" and "The City"."Stop Machine" was based on Russian satirist's Daniil Charms
Daniil Kharms
Daniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
' life and short stories, a performance, combining physical and psychological theatre.
"Once Petrushevsky broke his watch and asked to call Pushkin. Pushkin came, took a look at Petrushevsky's watch and put it back on the chair. "So what do you say, brother Pushkin?" - asked Petrushevsky. "Stop machine," - said Pushkin." (Anecdotes from the life of Pushkin)
- Daniil CharmsDaniil KharmsDaniil Kharms was an early Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. One of his pseudonyms, which was signed in Latin alphabet, was Daniel Charms.- Life :...
. Stop Machine (Stop Mašina). LNDT, 2000 - Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. Ivanov (Ivanovas). LNDT, 2002 - A. A. MilneA. A. MilneAlan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
. Winnie The Pooh (Mikė Pūkuotukas). Keistuolių theatre, 2003 - Yevgeni Grishkovets. The City (Miestas). OKT (Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas), 2005
- Antoine de Saint-ExupéryAntoine de Saint-ExupéryAntoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...
. The Little Prince (Mažasis Princas). LNDT, 2006
Film and Music
Aside from theatre, Mykolaitis had three supporting filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
role
Role
A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
s. The last one was in "Dievų Miškas" (Forest of the Gods
Forest of the Gods
Forest of the Gods is a 2005 film, directed by Algimantas Puipa, based on the Balys Sruoga novel of the same name....
) (2005), a feature directed by Algimantas Puipa.
Saulius Mykolaitis also wrote and performed songs in the genre of sung poetry
Sung poetry
Sung poetry is a broad and imprecise music genre widespread in Eastern European countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, to describe songs consisting of a poem and music written specially for that text. The compositions usually feature a delicate melody and scarce musical background, often...
, playing the guitar. His first album "Nieko Nepasakyta" ("Nothing's Said") was released in autumn 2005. Posthumously his songs for children's plays were collected in an album called "Nupiešti Pasaulį" ("To Draw the World") (2006), followed by a compilation "Debesys" ("The Clouds") (2007), consisting of non-professional live recordings.