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Mindaugas KarbauskisDirector
Country:
 Lithuania |
Biography of Mindaugas Karbauskis
Childhood
Mindaugas Ceslavovich Karbauskis was born on January 28, 1972, in Naisiai, Siauliai district, Lithuanian SSR. His father, Ceslavas Karbauskis, was a graduate of the Lithuanian Agricultural Academy and served as the chairman of a collective farm during the Soviet period, while his mother, Niiole Karbauskena, worked as a special education teacher. Mindaugas has an older brother, Ramunas, who is a well-known politician and philanthropist in Lithuania. He also has a younger sister, Yurga. Karbauskis spent his early childhood in his hometown of Naisiai and only went to the city when he started first grade.
Lithuanian Period
In 1990, Karbauskis graduated from high school and enrolled in the Theatre Faculty of the Lithuanian Academy of Music, studying under Egles Gabrenaites. During his third year, the Fomenko Studio from Moscow came to Lithuania to perform at the Life Festival. They showcased their play "Wolves and Sheep" by Alexander Ostrovsky at the Theatre Academy's Training Theatre. In discussions with his friends about the nature of talent, Mindaugas insisted that behind the ease and inspiration lies training. This is what he wanted to explore in the future.
In 1994, he completed his studies at the Academy. In 1996, he participated in organizing the Moscow Theatre's tour in Vilnius. It was during this tour that Tatyana Akhramkova, the director of the Moscow Theatre, advised him to go to Moscow and apply to the directing department of the GITIS under Petras Fomenko.
In Lithuania, Karbauskis appeared in the 1996 film "Zemes ar moteries" (Land or Women) directed by Algimantas Matulionis.
At the age of 25, Karbauskis went to London to "explore the Western world and reflect on himself, think about what to do next." He returned three months later and went to Moscow to enroll in the acting and directing department at GITIS, which was accepting new students.
Education in Moscow (GITIS)
In 1997, Mindaugas Karbauskis enrolled in the acting and directing course at GITIS under the guidance of Petras Fomenko. The course was taught by directors Sergey Zhenovach and Yevgeny Kamynkovitch. Among his classmates were future actors Evgeny Tsiganov, Irina Pegova, Pavel Barshak, Nikita Zverev, Maxim Litovchenko, Ivan Oganesyan, Natalia Kurdyubova, Ekaterina Krupenina, Oleg Niryana, and Alexey Kolubkov, as well as future directors Vasily Senin and Nikolay Druchek.
His first diploma performance, staged in 1999 at GITIS, was "Rusalka" based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin. Director Leonid Khayfets vividly recalls Karbauskis's first student work: "I don't remember the exact year, but I remember watching another student production by Fomenko's workshop. The independent work of some guy... Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin - "Rusalka." And suddenly, you are overwhelmed. My God, how is this done?! It is completely unlike anything before. And immediately you look at the program and remember the last name - Karbauskis..."
In 2000, his second diploma performance was Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler." Mindaugas himself played the role of Hedda's lover, Eilert Lovborg.
Instead of the usual five years, Karbauskis completed his directing training in four years and graduated from GITIS a year earlier. During the summer break, he received a call from his teacher, Yevgeny Kamynkovitch, urging him to return to Moscow as there was a job offer waiting for him. Oleg Tabakov was looking for a young director for the theaters he was managing and was impressed by Karbauskis's student work "Hedda Gabler." Karbauskis accepted the offer and started working at the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) and the Tabakerka Theatre (Theatre under the direction of Oleg Tabakov) immediately after graduating from GITIS.
Work in Moscow (2001-2007)
Karbauskis's first work at the Tabakerka Theatre, under the direction of Oleg Tabakov, was the play "The Long Christmas Dinner" by Thornton Wilder. It premiered on November 5, 2001.
After a month and a half, on December 25, 2001, Karbauskis presented the play "Old World Landowners" based on the story by Nikolai Gogol at the Moscow Art Theatre. This play became the first premiere on the Small Stage in Kamergersky Lane at the Moscow Art Theatre. The role of Pulcheria Ivanovna was initially played by Polina Medvedeva and later by Yulia Polynskaya, while the role of Afanasy Ivanovich was played by Alexander Semchev. The play was performed until 2018, almost 17 years. The genre of the play was defined by the director as "Composition Based on a Story." Karbauskis himself made the dramatization. The play had minimal set designs and very few lines – the entire story was conveyed through sensations accompanied by the sound of a Vladimir horn. The play depicted the dual nature of the old world landowners, who could be joyful and carefree but also indifferent and ruthless after the death of their mistress.
In 2004, Karbauskis directed his third diploma performance, "Ghosts," based on the play by Henrik Ibsen, at the Tabakerka Theatre. The play premiered on January 24, 2004. The role of Mrs. Alving was played by Polina Medvedeva, and the role of Pastor Manders was played by Oleg Tabakov. The play was nominated for the Golden Mask Award in five categories, and Irina Pegova, who played Regina, received the award for "Best Female Role."
Karbauskis continued to balance his work in the theatre with teaching at RATI-GITIS, instructing on the course of his former teacher, Sergey Zhenovach.
When Oleg Tabakov offered Karbauskis to direct a play based on Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen," the director initially refused. However, he eventually agreed and the play premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre on February 25, 2003. It was Karbauskis's first play staged on the main stage. The play tells the story of a meeting between the fathers of quantum mechanics, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, during the height of World War II in the autumn of 1941. The play explores the ethical dilemmas faced by these scientists and the moral implications of their work.
Karbauskis's subsequent productions at the Tabakerka Theatre included "Sync" by Swiss playwright Thomas Hurlimann, "Uncle Vanya" by Anton Chekhov, "Journey Composed Based on Nikolai Gogol's 'Dead Souls'," "The Story of Happy Moscow" based on the unfinished novel by Andrei Platonov, and "The Tale of the Seven Hanged" based on the story by Leonid Andreyev.
Throughout his work in Moscow, Karbauskis received numerous awards and nominations, including the Golden Mask Award, the Crystal Turandot Award, and the Moscow Theatre Prize.
In 2009, Karbauskis left the Tabakerka Theatre and began working at the Moscow Academic Theatre named after Vladimir Mayakovsky. He became the artistic director of the theatre on May 20, 2011, and held the position until 2022.
