Portrayal of Dystopia in Contemporary Lithuanian Theatre
Dystopia, a subgenre of science fiction, is employed to depict a future world that is deemed to be wrong, cruel and unjust. The term was coined as a response to utopia, which was used to represent a perfect world order. In the wake of global unrest and technological advancements, this genre is experiencing a surge in popularity among Lithuanian artists. The objective of this paper is to analyse the dystopia as a subgenre of science fiction, its main elements, modifications of genre formula that help it to become a genre of its own, and to showcase how dystopia can be crucial in exploring the social issues relevant to today's society. The paper aims to explore two of the most successful dystopian theatre plays by Lithuanian directors (Oskaras Koršunovas, Gintaras Varnas). The paper then analyses and compares how authors interpret the genre, play with its elements and present it in the context of theatre.
Key Words: genre, subgenre, dystopia, theatre, social issues
