Sigita Šimkūnaitė
Theatre and film art director, set designer Sigita Šimkūnaitė (b. 1981) studied architecture and holds Master’s degree in History and Theory of Architecture from the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (2004); she also spent a year studying at Vitus Bering University College in Denmark (2001).
In 2010, she joined the independent creative group Operomania, where she created sets for experimental contemporary operas. Over the years she has also collaborated with contemporary dance choreographers Rūta Butkus (Lost Eyes, 5g of hope, New N fairytale, 6th finger, MII4IIpeoples park), Petras Lisauskas (Women’s Club), Agnija Šeiko (Dior in Moscow), Vytis Jankauskas (Agonies, Decreation), Maciej Kuźmiński (I). Since 2012, she has worked as art director in 24 films, collaborating with Lithuanian film directors Donatas Ulvydas, Marija Kavtaradze, Lina Lužytė, and Karolis Kaupinis, among others.
Her collaboration with the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre (KSMT) started with dance performance Carmen directed and choreographed by Aušra Krasauskaitė (2017). Other projects at the KSMT followed soon including Giedrius Kuprevičius’ opera Prussians (directed by Gediminas Šeduikis, 2018), Theodorakis’ ballet Zorba the Greek (choreographer Lorca Massine, 2018), Wagner’s opera The Flying Dutchman (directed by Dalius Abaris and Gediminas Šeduikis, 2020) that brought her (together with Abaris) a nomination for the Golden Cross of the Stage award in set design category, and Donizetti’s comic opera La fille du régiment (directed by Jūratė Sodytė, 2021). In 2022, she created set designs for the triple bill of dance performances Doña Quixote, which brought her yet another nomination for the Golden Cross of the Stage, which she eventually won for productions in other theatres (together with costume designer Sandra Straukaitė).
She has also designed sets for theatre performances produced at the Lithuanian Russian Drama Theatre (now The Old Theatre of Vilnius), State Small Theatre of Vilnius, Vilnius Chamber Theatre, the State Youth Theatre, etc. In 2018, among other projects, she designed the sets for the rock opera Eglė (Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra), for the opening celebration of the Lithuanian Centenary Song Festival In the Name of… at Vingis Park, and for the visit of Pope Francis to Lithuania (a stage set in the Cathedral Square for a meeting with young people). In 2021, she was the set designer for the concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of professional drama and opera theatre in Lithuania (directed by Gediminas Šeduikis, choreographed by Martynas Rimeikis) at the Kaunas State Music Theatre and naturalistic scenery in the spectacle-journey Laikas nė(e)rimui (director and choreographer Agnija Šeiko), an opening event of the Neringa – Lithuanian Capital of Culture 2021 programme. The mirror krikštai (Lithuanian wooden burial monuments of oldest type), an element of the scenery from this performance, became the main element of the Lithuanian National Pavilion and the exhibition “Theatre Navigation. What’s Out There” at the 15th Prague Quadrennial (June 2023, curated by Raimonda Bitinaitė-Širvinskienė), where Šimkūnaitė’s works for theatre was also presented. In 2022, she created set designs for the baletoria The Contract (composer Zita Bružaitė, director Gediminas Šeduikis), which was part of the Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022 programme. In 2023, she created the set design for a videographic performance based on Carl Orff’s stage cantata Carmina Burana (directed by Dalius Abaris), which was staged on the open stage at the Klaipėda’s historic shipyard and brought the 3rd Klaipėda Festival to an impressive conclusion.
