One of the most famous contemporary playwrights Sarah Kane was born in Brentwood, Essex on 3 February 1971. Both her parents were journalists. The art of theatre Sarah studied at Bristol and Birmingham Universities (under David Edgar). Howard Barker’s “catastrophical” theatre’s works fascinated her. Her talent was recognised early: The Royal Court Theatre gave professional productions of most of her works. Her first play Blasted (1995) raised unseen indignation among the critics, though she was supported by Harold Pinter who noticed, that her works “turns into all that what is indeed urgent, true, ugly and painful”. Her other play – Phaedra’s Love (1997) – was the humorous paraphrase of the Greek myth.

The international recognition S. Kane won with the third her play Cleansed (1997), which she was writing for long years. Here the love is experienced as the salvation. O.K. Theatre’s directors in producing Crave used excerpts from that play. Although she is notorious as “unstaging”, still directors hope, that plot line of Cleansed will help to reveal the longing sources of characters in more precisely way. That should help also to approach to the secret of life and death of Kane herself. That is the risky aim: playwright in her works craved for retraction of herself. Unfortunately she succeeded to do it: 20 February 1999 in the hospital where she was being treated of depression she hung herself. According to playwright and Sarah’s tutor Edward Bond that was “the comment to our theatre, our life and false gods absurdity”. The most mature her work Crave (1998) S. Kane wrote under the name Marie Kelvedon. It was dedicated to Mark Ravenhill. There are no any auxiliary references to artistic direction, neither to the characters.

“Crave” in Lithuanian has several meanings: desire, crave, supplication – this is a confusing and at the same time beautiful song for unadorned longing for love, death and God who has given the language for the human beings in order to help them to put into words the suffering of they desires. Sarah once mentioned, that it was “the most despairing text” she had ever wrote. The speaking itself here seeks to become an utopian silence and the pain of memories is the most intensive experience. “He works do not explains anything, they confront hard, extreme situations.” (Mark Ravenhill)

Costume designer
Jolanta Rimkutė

Cast
Paulius Baltramiejūnas
Aistis Mickevičius
Rasa Marazaitė
Rūta Papartytė
Laura Mizerytė
Kristina Savickytė
Modestas Pavydis
Salvijus Trepulis

Premiere
2002 January 18

Reviews
Ramune Baleviciute / 7 meno dienos
Loreta Klebonaite / 5ci.lt
Indre Daunyte / Verslo zinios
Rasa Vasinauskaite / Verslo zinios
Jurate Baranova / Siaures Atenai