Timeless Texts in Temporal Theatre: Anu Lamp, Piret Krumm, Lembit Peterson

It is possible that we are witnessing a more permanent tendency: Estonian theatre is moving away from literature and Estonian literature is trying to catch up with theatre. Of all the changes of the postdramatic theatre, one of the most dramatic is the relationship between the production and the text – often the latter is no longer the source and instead serves as a starting point, something from which to move on. The production may no longer be built on a literary text, where the text merely serves as one part of the production. Conversely, on the Estonian literary scene, live performances of literary texts, immediate encounters with writers, listening to their voice, have gained prominence – perhaps the emergence of literary festivals in Estonia has had a part to play. However, it should be remembered that drama forms an important part of literature and the traditional link with drama is not about to disappear from theatre. This is why the HeadRead festival has asked several renowned actors to leave the walls of the theatre behind and bring along some drama texts that can become alive in any space or performance. Anu Lamp, actor and producer of the Tallinn City Theatre, freelance actor Piret Krumm, and Lembit Peterson, the director of Theatrum Theatre and the Estonian Drama School will present their favourites.