Dramatic new absurdist theatre show Paper Swans - Interview with Vyte Garriga

Drawing on absurdist theatre and her personal experience in a post-Soviet Europe, Lithuanian playwright Vyte Garriga tells the story of a never-ending loop of encounters between a security guard and a young woman in a ballet dress sitting on the bench making paper swans. We talked to her about the story behind her intriguing and unique show which premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

Can you tell us a bit about Paper Swans and the themes explored in the piece?

Paper Swans is my first play. It is set in a closed park at night where we meet a girl in a ballet dress making paper swans. The security guard arrives and tries to investigate her actions, which locks them in a continuous loop of having to encounter each other again and again in an attempt of finding the meaning beyond those paper swans. 

It is a piece rooted in the tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd. When people ask me what Paper Swans is about, I tell them that it changes every day. I see it like a surrealist painting, where everyone will be able to see something different rather than a story that tries to make a point. But the themes of freedom, oppression and ability to be oneself without having to explain or justify it are very much there. It is also very funny.

Why did you decide to write/perform this show?

We had a playwriting module at university and had to write a 45-minute play. I really struggled in the beginning as all the stories I wanted to tell (all overly dramatic for the sake of it) were already told by a lot more talented people or someone with a lived experience of it. So, I decided to approach it from a different angle: I started writing the images I had in my head and allowed them to lead me.

I sent it to the Royal Court for some feedback and to my surprise they were actually considering it. Then I showed it to Flabbergast Theatre, who offered their help and support in making it happen.

And now here we are – premiering it at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

What have been some of the highlights of creating Paper Swans?

Firstly, the team of people that loved the piece and offered to help me make it happen.

And – this might be a less exciting answer – but receiving Arts Council England funding for the work-in-progress version of Paper Swans meant everything to me: this was the first time I was awarded their support, which made me trust myself as a creative and believe that I have the right to tell my stories and that there is space for them within the UK theatre scene.

Paper Swans is described as absurdist theatre, but is it also funny? Are the audiences encouraged to laugh?

Absolutely! The Theatre of the Absurd is and should be funny. It talks about life and the only way one is able to deal with it is by taking oneself with a pinch of salt. There is a misconception that the absurdist theatre is pretentious – it’s not. It simply doesn’t follow a linear narrative that we are most used to, but that is why we should rely on the feelings it evokes in us – it is not trying to make us feel stupid. On the contrary, it tries to shake us out from being in our heads too much.

What do you want from the Edinburgh Fringe 2024?

I want to show Paper Swans to as many people as possible which hopefully would lead to a run in London and then a tour in the UK and abroad. I hope that the exposure at the Fringe will allow me to reintroduce the genre of the Theatre of the Absurd and show that it’s still relevant today as opposed to being something dated from the past. At the same time, I am not trying to claim the title of the 21st century female Beckett – I just want to open the door to this genre to be re-examined.

I also believe that exposure at the Edinburgh Fringe will help challenge the stereotype surrounding the East European identity as a cheap, uneducated labour force and show that we also have stories to tell and, selfishly, I hope it would help me find a way to take it to Lithuania so that my parents, grandparents and the Lithuanian theatre scene could see it. 

It would be an amazing opportunity to be able to start a conversation about finding ways of bringing work from the Lithuanian theatre makers living abroad to Lithuania (and beyond) as it does not exist at the moment.

Paper Swans will be performed at 11.05am in the Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs) from the 31st July – 25th August (Not 14th)

Booking Link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/paper-swans