Theatre: Illusion and/or Reality

Theatre as a path of cognition

As an introduction to the lecture, Lembit Peterson has written:

“Can theatre, which always creates an illusion (in what manner?), also be seen as a means of perceiving the truth? And if so, how? How much truth is in play and is the truth playful? How do I perceive the creative relationship between theatre and life (how they shape each other)? I would reflect on these questions mainly based on my experience as an actor, director and teacher. When giving examples, I would concentrate on those classical authors whose works I have had more contact with in my theatre work (Shakespeare, Molière, Calderón, etc.).

I would like to look at theatre from several angles — as an art, a profession, a mission, a way of life, a path of cognition, etc. The main thing would be the possibility of knowing the Truth, the horizontal dimension of theatre, possibly the vertical dimension, and certainly the sacred dimension. What is the role of theatre in our society, as a creator of values (or worthlessness), as a fighter for the culture of life but also as a potential sower of the culture of death? Theatre as a double-edged sword.”

Lembit Peterson has worked as an actor and director at the Estonian Youth Theatre, the Estonian Drama Theatre and the Ugala Theatre. He is the founder and artistic director of the Studio Theatre Theatrum. He has been working at Theatrum both as a director and actor for nearly 30 years. Lembit Peterson has also been the Head of the Performing Arts Department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, professor, Head of the Theatre Department at the Estonian Institute of Humanities and Head of the Theatre School and Theatre Programme at the Old Town Educational College.

The talk will be in Estonian.