HELVER'S NIGHT

“Helver’s Night” is a psychological story about human fragility, care, and the dehumanization of society in the face of totalitarianism. Klara and her ward, Helver—an adult man with an intellectual disability—meet in a one-room apartment. Their daily lives are increasingly disrupted by the violence erupting in the streets: pogroms and persecutions are taking place in the city, militaristic propaganda is gaining ground, and the shouts of aggressive mobs can be heard growing closer and closer.

 

Helveris, influenced by propaganda, longs to become a soldier himself and fails to realize that the new system he so desperately wants to be a part of is also directed against people like him. Meanwhile, Klara tries with all her might to protect him from a world that is becoming increasingly cruel. As the external threat grows, their personal stories and the complex relationship between guardian and ward are revealed.

 

The play explores the place of people with disabilities in society, as well as the burden, responsibility, and sacrifice experienced by their caregivers in the face of a fascist society. As threats loom both on the street and at home, a single question swirls in Klara’s mind: “How can they survive?”

 

Director: Augustas Gudelis

Scenography: Ieva Vaičiulytė, Haroldas Kuliešius

Kompozitorė: Kotryna Jančauskaitė

Performers: Gabija Bargailaitė, Mindaugas Gargasas