Guest performances by Estonia's Südalinna Theatre Marius Ivaškevičius Dawn of the Gods

Estonian director Elmo Nüganen has stagedDawn of the Gods, a play by internationally acclaimed Lithuanian playwright Marius Ivaškevičius, at Tallinnʼs Südalinna Theatre. The production is presented in two versions—one performed by a Russian cast and the other by an Estonian cast. The Russian-language version premiered on 30 May 2025 in the theatreʼs Grand Hall.

Nüganenʼs production received outstanding critical acclaim. Even before its premiere, Ivaškevičiusʼ play, which explores womenʼs destinies and love against the backdrop of war, was recognised as one of Europeʼs best plays by the international EURODRAM competition. It was also recognised as the best play published in German translation in 2024.

Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine found Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius in Uganda, where he was shooting a new feature film starring his partner Ana, who was born in Ukraine. Mantas was ready to begin a new chapter in his life: to leave behind years of documenting wars around the world, marry Ana, and start a family. But the war changed everything.

As Russian forces advanced towards Mariupol, Mantas realised he could no longer stand aside. He knew the people of Mariupol personally—they were the people whose lives he had been documenting. When the city was surrounded, he returned to complete the film, accompanied by Ana. For several weeks he continued filming until he was captured by Russian troops and killed.

Unaware of his fate, Ana searched for him throughout the besieged city, crossing areas where bullets flew and bombs fell on both sides of the front line, until she was finally led to the place where he had been killed.

Ana managed to escape Mariupol with both the documentary footage and Mantasʼ body, eventually returning to Lithuania. The film was later completed in Paris as Mariupolis 2, earning Kvedaravičius a posthumous European Film Award for Best Documentary.

“I didnʼt have a play I truly wanted to stage. When Marius Ivaškevičius heard that, he told me he had one. And so here we are, working to ensure that society continues to talk about these issues—that we do not forget, that we do not sweep everything under the carpet, that we do not 'grow tired'. What, after all, could we possibly be tired of? We live in peace. The people at the front are the ones who have the right to be exhausted. What right do we have to say we are tired? It seems absurd and arrogant. It is idiotic. I believe this is exactly the right moment to speak about it.”

— Elmo Nüganen

Marius Ivaškevičius is a Lithuanian writer, playwright, director, and documentary filmmaker. His plays have been widely staged in theatres around the world. His best-known works include Malyš (Malysh), Close City, Madagascar, Expulsion: The Chronicle of One Apple, The Master, Kant, The Great Evil, and Miegantys (The Sleeping). His play Russian Romance was staged at Vilnius Old Theatre in 2019 (directed by Oskaras Koršunovas), while a stage sketch of Dawn of the Gods was presented there in 2022 (directed by Vladimiras Gurfinkelis). He is also the author of the short story collection Kam vaikų (Who Needs Children) and the novels The Story from a Cloud, The Men in Green, Thomas More, and Išvarymas. Londono adata (Expulsion: The London Needle). His awards include the Lithuanian Institute of Literature and Folklore Literary Prize (2005), the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2014), the Golden Stage Cross (2015), the Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Memorial Medal (2017), and the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (2018). 

Elmo Nüganen is an Estonian theatre actor and director. Since 1992, he has served as Artistic Director of the Tallinn City Theatre. His major stage productions include William Shakespeareʼs Romeo and Juliet (1992) and Hamlet (1999), Alexandre Dumasʼ The Three Musketeers (1995) and The Three Musketeers: Twenty Years Later (2001), Anton Chekhovʼs Pianola, or The Mechanical Piano (1995), Fyodor Dostoevskyʼs Crime and Punishment (1999), Witold Gombrowiczʼs The Marriage (2004), and Anton Hansen Tammsaareʼs Truth and Justice, Part II (2005) and Karin. Indrek. Truth and Justice, Part IV (2006). He has also directed the feature films Names in Marble (Nimed marmortahvlil, 2002) and 1944 (2015). His work has received numerous awards and honours in Estonia and abroad.

Director – Elmo Nüganen
Set Designer – Kristjan Suits
Costume Designer – Reet Aus
Lighting Designer – Anton Andrejuk
Music Selection – Matis Leima
Assistant Director – Sergej Plioskin

Cast (estonian version)

Ana – Maria Avdjuško, Külliki Saldre, Katariina Unt, Eva Koldits
Jana – Elss Raidmets
Cherry – Saara Nüganen
Voice – Märt Avandi

Cast (russian version)

Ana – Tatjana Jegoruškina, Tatjana Manevskaja, Anna Sergejeva, Tatjana Kosmynina
Jana – Darja Gavrilčenko
Cherry – Erika Babjak
Voice – Artiom Garejev / Stanislav Kolodub