Make (dis)believe: creative spectacularization of the war on theatre stage in The Great Evil
Abstract
This article deals with the issue of production of belief on stage of the theatre. The research presented in the article aims to contribute to the discussion on how understanding tools and techniques of building fiction in theatre helps to deconstruct and understand mediatized images of reality. The case in point is a Lithuanian theatre production The Great Evil (orig. Didis blogis, 2015, director Árpád Schilling), which will be analyzed as an example of militarized conflict depicted as a spectacle. Analysis of the performance and of its reception using tools proposed by Erving Goffman allowed to find aesthetic means specific to the theatre that were used to present the spectacularization and artifice as weapons of modern warfare.
Keyword : dramaturgical analysis, Erving Goffman, Lithuania, theatre, theatricalization and communication, war
How to Cite
Petrikas, M. (2025). Make (dis)believe: creative spectacularization of the war on theatre stage in The Great Evil. Creativity Studies, 18(1), 171–184. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2025.21852
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Beckett, S. (1982). Waiting for Godot: A tragicomedy in two acts. Grove Press.
Brant, G. (2017). Grounded. Oberon Books.
Braškytė, A. (2015). Nothing comes from violence… Didis blogis Lietuvos nacionaliniame dramos teatre. 7 meno dienos, 34(1140). https://www.7md.lt/teatras/2015-10-02/nothing-comes-from-violence
Brecht, B. (1957). Schriften zum Theater. Über eine nicht-aristotelische Dramatik. Suhrkamp Verlag.
Dementavičiūtė-Stankuvienė, D. (2015). Apie karą kalbantis Didis blogis. Kauno diena. https://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/laisvalaikis-ir-kultura/kultura/apie-kara-kalbantis-didis-blogis-726493
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Drugă, D. I. (2022). War in Ukraine: Russian propaganda themes. Strategic Impact, 3–4, 80–93. https://doi.org/10.53477/1842-9904-22-18
Finburgh, C. (2017). Watching war on the Twenty-First century stage: Spectacles of conflict. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472598691
Fischer-Lichte, E. (1995). Theatricality: A key concept in theatre and cultural studies. Theatre Research International, 20(2), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0307883300008294
Goffman, E. (1956). The presentation of self in everyday life. University of Edinburgh.
Gritėnas, P. (2015). Teatras. Didis blogis. 15min.lt. https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/komentarai/paulius-gritenas-teatras-didis-blogis-500-529970
Hall, E. T., Nichol, A. J., Morgan, C. T., McCutcheon, M., & Potrac, P. (2024). Understanding workplace collaboration in professional rugby coaching: A dramaturgical analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 16(4), 352–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2024.2304736
Ivaškevičius, M. (2014). Didis blogis. Manuscript [unpublished source].
Jevsejevas, A. (2015–2016). Didis blogis. Didžio blogio kelionė didžio gėrio link. Lietuvos teatras: metraštis. https://lteatras.lt/lt/2015-2016/spektakliai/195-didis-blogis
Krisnawati, E. (2020). Dramaturgical analysis of vlogger’s impression management on social media. Jurnal Komunikator, 12(1), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.18196/jkm.121035
Mangham, I. L. (1996). Beyond Goffman: Some notes on life and theatre as art. Studies in Cultures, Organizations and Societies, 2(1), 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10245289608523465
Marinis, de M. (2004). The performance text. In H. Bial (Ed.), The performance studies reader (pp. 232–251). Routledge.
Meilutytė, M. (2015). Ar didis blogis, kad teatras nuogas? Kultūros barai, 10, 41–44.
Oginskaitė, R. (2015). Didis blogis: suaugę berniukai scenoje žaidžia smurtą. Lrytas. https://www.lrytas.lt/kultura/scena/2015/09/24/news/-didis-blogis-suauge-berniukai-scenoje-zaidzia-smurta-554051
Patrona, M. (2023). Snapshots from an information war: Propaganda, intertextuality, and audience design in the Russia–Ukraine conflict. Violence: An International Journal, 3(2), 253–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/26330024231162636
Pavis, P. (1988). From text to performance. In M. Issacharoff & R. F. Jones (Eds.), Performing texts (pp. 86–100). University of Pennsylvania Press. https://doi.org/10.9783/9781512802870-008
Pukelytė, I. (2016). Tarp dramos ir postdramos. Respectus Philologicus, 29(34), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.15388/RESPECTUS.2016.29.34.02
Ravenhill, M. (2007). Crime and punishment. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2007/aug/16/edinburghfestival2007.edinburghfestival
Sardarizadeh, Sh. (2022). Ukraine War: False TikTok videos draw millions of views. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/60867414
Squires, H. (2012). Vera Vera Vera. Methuen Drama.
Wolf, M. (1979). Sociologie della vita quotidiana. Espresso Strumenti.
Yuana, S. L., Sengers, F., Boon, W., Hajer, M. A., & Raven, R. (2020). A dramaturgy of critical moments in transition: Understanding the dynamics of conflict in socio-political change. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 37, 156–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2020.08.009