Paper Swans is a one act play set in a closed park at night.
A security guard on his patrol finds a young woman in a ballet dress sitting on the bench making paper swans. He tries to question her and find out what exactly she is doing and why. That locks them in a continuous never ending loop of having to encounter each other again and again and find out the meaning behind those paper swans. However, each time they meet, there is a slight change in the situation from the one before.
It is a piece drawing on the traditions of absurdist theatre, visual symbolism and the playwright's personal experience as a woman from a post-Soviet country (Lithuania) coming to the UK. It explores the themes of oppression, freedom of speech, self-discovery and what it means to pursue dreams that one is not allowed to have.
Supported using public funding through Arts Council England.
Director: Simon Gleave
Performers: Daniel Chrisostomou, Vyte Garriga
Composer and Musician: Olivier Van Den Hende
Set Designer: Valentina Turtur
“Such a crucial part of the UK theatre ecology… Developing artists and audiences”
The Guardian
