One of the Most Anticipated Cultural Events: The Premiere of Robert Wilson’s Seven Solitudes

On 20–22 March 2026, the National Kaunas Drama Theatre is set to present the world premiere of Robert Wilson’s Seven Solitudes, based on the texts of poet and intellectual Oskar Miłosz. This is not only a significant event for Lithuanian and European theatre, but also a symbolic premiere, taking place after the passing of Robert Wilson (1941–2025), the author of the direction, set design, and lighting concept. The performance is being completed in accordance with all of Robert Wilson’s creative principles.

At the request of the director himself, the creative process is being completed by his long-standing team: text adaptation author and director Charles Chemin, set designer Stephanie Engeln, composer Hans-Jörn Brandenburg, costume designer Flavia Ruggeri, lighting designer Marcello Lumaca, hair and make-up designer Manuela Halligan, video projection designer Tomasz Jeziorski, and actors Dainius Svobonas, Kęstutis Jakštas, Gytis Laskovas, Martyna Gedvilaitė, Miglė Navasaitytė, Agnieszka Ravdo, and Vladimiras Šerstabojevas.

The Final Premiere and Dedication of Robert Wilson

Christof Belka, Executive Director of the Robert M. Wilson Irrevocable Trust and RW Work, Ltd., the company representing Wilson’s copyrights, states that Seven Solitudes will occupy a special place in the artist’s oeuvre. It is one of only two works from his legacy to be presented after his death. The first was the opera production Tristan and Isolde, which took place at the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ljubljana in February.

According to Belka, while rehearsing Seven Solitudes in Kaunas in June 2025, Wilson was already aware that he might not live to see the premiere, so he worked extremely intensively to complete the work. “And he succeeded. The rehearsal on the Big Stage revealed the work’s artistic potential. Trusting in the artistic authority of his team, Wilson expressed his wish that the premiere of Seven Solitudes be completed according to his creative vision, even if he could not be on stage,” states Belka.

Egidijus Stancikas, General Director of the National Kaunas Drama Theatre, considers the second premiere of Wilson at this theatre to be a gift of fate: “After the extremely successful creative process of Dorian, Robert Wilson fell in love with our theatre, so it was easy to discuss the future of our creative collaboration. We wanted his production of Edward Albee’s play Three Tall Women, staged at the Piraeus Theatre in Athens, Greece, to be brought to our stage. However, fate had other plans. Faced with insurmountable circumstances, a very ambitious idea was born for a world-class director to explore Lithuanian literature. When we suggested the works of Oskar Miłosz, Wilson agreed, to the delight of us all. A wonderful creative journey began, and its participants could not have imagined that this would be the last theatrical work in Robert Wilson’s impressive creative repertoire. We received a meaningful gift: the last play directed by Robert Wilson on the oldest theatre stage in Lithuania. To express our gratitude for this gift, we dedicate the performance to him.”

Interestingly, Wilson dedicated this production to his close friend, a Lithuanian-born philanthropist and patron Audrey Gruss, founder of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF). Born in Kaunas, the daughter of a Lithuanian army lieutenant and a teacher, Gruss often told Wilson about the city and its people, who cherished a deep love of nature and beauty. Audrey Gruss was also a long-time member of the board of The Watermill Center, founded by Wilson.

Direction and Text Adaptation in the Hands of a Long-Time Collaborator

Following the director’s death, the premiere will be completed by Charles Chemin, Wilson’s long-time co-director, who contributed to the creation of 20 of Wilson’s productions. As a performer and director, Chemin has appeared on prestigious stages around the world: the Comédie-Française in Paris, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Avignon Festival, the Barbican Centre in London, and many others. Later, the artist’s attention increasingly turned to directing, dramaturgy, and interdisciplinary projects that combine theatre, dance, music, and visual arts. As a child, Chemin shared the stage with Robert Wilson in Une femme douce at Bobigny (1994) at the Comédie-Française, co-directed Wilson’s solo performance Krapp’s Last Tape, and adapted texts for his productions. Today, Charles Chemin is the artistic director of The Watermill Center.

“Miłosz’s poetic language is beautiful, and his work leads him to the infinite and beyond the materiality of human existence. It lifts the spirit toward the cosmos to reach a form of fulfilment. When I was writing the first draft of the text, I knew that Wilson was ill, so the parallel with Miłosz as an immortal poet became even stronger. Poets are immortal. Their vision of the world outlives them,” summarises  the director and the author of the text adaptation, Charles Chemin.

Unique Aesthetic Experience

Edgaras Klivis, Artistic Director of the National Kaunas Drama Theatre, believes that Seven Solitudes offers a new perspective on Miłosz’s texts as living and relevant thinking that transcends the boundaries of time: “I would like to warn the fans of Oskar Miłosz that the performance will not be a theatrical explanation of this author’s work, an ‘unlocking’ of his enigmatic poetics, or a presentation to a contemporary audience. Wilson has repeatedly emphasised that he is not interested in pedagogical motives for presenting or revealing the author. Rather, one might say that Miłosz’s texts and their fragments will be manipulated. Therefore, an almost tangible poetic synergy will sometimes emerge before the viewer’s eyes. Ultimately, the imaginations of the two poets will meet and intertwine, and sometimes the words and images will go their separate ways or even begin to mock each other. This manipulation, which the audience will be invited to join in to catch the echoes and then lose them again, will offer a unique aesthetic experience.”

The premiere is supported by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. The co-producer of the performance is the Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, Poland. A version of Seven Solitudes will be premiered in Poland in May this year.

NKDT information