Guided tours
The New Klaipėda State Music Theatre
The new Klaipėda State Music Theatre is the first music theatre built in Lithuania since the restoration of independence, opening its doors to visitors in spring 2024. Today, it is the most technologically advanced theatre in the country, attracting thousands of visitors eager to discover its innovative architectural design and state-of-the-art technical solutions.
The Klaipėda State Music Theatre strives to remain open to its audiences, not only those attending performances and events, but also those curious to explore what lies beyond the theatre’s façade, public spaces, and stage curtains. Visitors can learn about the theatre’s history before and after reconstruction, hear about its architectural and technological solutions, construction challenges, and gain access to areas usually closed to the public. These tours are led by the theatre’s Education Coordinator, Akvilė Eglinskaitė.
For group tours of the theatre, please contact us to arrange a suitable date and time by email: akvile.eglinskaite@kvmt.lt (administrative office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30–17:30).
We also invite individual visitors to join our guided backstage tours by purchasing tickets in advance for scheduled dates (tour start time: 17:30).
A JOURNEY ON THE WAVES OF THEATRE!
Educational Tour for Children and Young People
The world of musical theatre is no less fascinating and mysterious than the underwater world hidden beneath the waves. Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes? What do not only the performers seen on stage, such as soloists, choristers, dancers, conductors, and orchestra musicians do, but also all those whose work makes theatrical productions possible?
What roles do directors and assistant directors, répétiteurs, set designers, decorators, choreographers, ballet masters, costume designers, seamstresses, dressers, sound, lighting, video, and stage equipment operators play? How and where are performances created? And what theatre etiquette should audiences follow to ensure a pleasant experience for both fellow spectators and performers?
During this tour, you will discover the answers to these and many other fascinating questions. You will learn, for example, what the saying “the theatre begins at the cloakroom” means, why the theatre’s two auditoriums are called Sea and Lagoon, and how far below sea level the orchestra, choir, and ballet studios, as well as costume and scenery workshops and storage areas, are located.
The tour also offers a rare opportunity to visit areas normally inaccessible to visitors, including the orchestra pit, dressing rooms, and costume department. Participants may even try on a wig or costume and experience, for a moment, what it feels like to be a theatre artist.
As you are guided through the mysterious underground corridors and labyrinths of the theatre, each stop reveals intriguing stories from both the theatre’s history and contemporary life. The tour concludes with an open discussion where you can ask any questions you may have.
Starting point: Ground-floor foyer, next to the theatre cloakroom
Duration: 50 min.
Language: Lithuanian
Suitable for: Preschool children, pupils in grades 1-12, and students (this tour can also be booked through the Culture Passport programme)
Maximum group size: 25 participants
Group price: €75
DISCOVERING THEATRE BACKSTAGE
Guided Tour
Opened to visitors on 20 April 2024, the new KSMT building, designed by a team of German and Lithuanian architects and constructed by Infes Ltd., became the first completely new theatre built in Lithuania during the country’s entire period of restored independence.
The building features two auditoriums with exceptional acoustics, equipped with modern sound systems, stage lighting technology, ventilation, and audience information systems, as well as rehearsal studios and costume and scenery storage facilities. The theatre is fully accessible to people with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments.
The architects and acoustic consultants responsible for the interior design drew inspiration from clay, sand, and sea-wave motifs, reflecting the identity of the Klaipėda region. Their work has received several prestigious awards.
You can discover all of this firsthand on a tour beginning in the ground-floor foyer. The route leads up the elegant shell-shaped staircase to the second-floor foyer, through the three-storey café area featuring the restored original chandelier from the historic building, into both the large and small auditoriums, and down by lift to technical facilities, costume storage rooms, and rehearsal studios located 12 metres below sea level.
Starting point: Ground-floor foyer, next to the theatre cloakroom
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Language: Lithuanian
Suitable for: Adults and seniors with children aged 7 and above
Maximum group size: 25 participants
Group price: €250