On November 15, the premiere of the performance “Dormitory of the Poultry-Farm” took place on the Small Stage of the Lesya Ukrainka Theatre in Kyiv. The performance is directed by Valentinas Masalskis, written by M. Nastaravičius, and performed by students and graduates of LMTA’s Erasmus partner institution – the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary University of Theatre, Cinema and Television. LMTA associate professor and scenographer Renata Valčik contributed to the scenography, creating the visual concept of the work.

After presenting a sketch of the performance at the Culture Factory (Kultūros fabrikas) in Klaipėda at the end of summer, LMTA Klaipėda Faculty professor Valentinas Masalskis continued the creative process in Kyiv, where rehearsals with students and graduates of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary University of Theatre, Cinema and Television lasted for an additional two weeks. Supported by the theatre troupe Amantes, founded by alumni of the Kyiv university, the creative team hopes to present the performance in Ukraine, Lithuania, and other European countries.

According to director Valentinas Masalskis, the performance is his modest contribution to Ukraine’s victory, and the play “Dormitory of the Poultry-Farm” deeply reflects the country’s current context, exploring themes of loneliness, longing, lost homes, and the daily lives of a fragile community of women shaped by the realities of war.

The premiere in Kyiv began unusually – the audience was informed that in the event of an air-raid siren, they would have to move to an underground shelter, but the performance would continue. The airstrike that hit Kyiv the night before had become part of everyday reality.

After the performance, audience members shared impressions about the strong connection they felt with the stories portrayed on stage. They said the performance touched their hearts – despite revealing the hardships of daily life, it radiates human warmth and hope.

The project is supported by the Erasmus+ programme.

Academic ethics – what is it? How to cite correctly and avoid plagiarism? How to prevent unethical authorship? How to talk about science so that others listen? All this and more will be discussed in online seminars intended for students in Lithuania.

The Office of the Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures of the Republic of Lithuania, in cooperation with the Lithuanian National Union of Students and the Vilnius University Students’ Representation, is organizing a series of centralized online seminars throughout November. These seminars are primarily aimed at first-year students but are also suitable for students of all years and study levels.

The seminars will be held in Lithuanian and English.

The first seminar will take place on November 10, 2025!

Essential information and links to join can be found below.

From 8 to 10 October 2025, the WIRE Research Coordinators Days took place on the Study Campus of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), bringing together research coordinators and managers from partner institutions across Europe.

The event opened with a meeting of the EARMA Thematic Group (European Association of Research Managers and Administrators), tied to the European Universities Initiative. The discussion centred on “Research Management in Practice: Collaboration, Funding, and Researcher Development in Alliances.”

Day 2 was dedicated to planning: mapping out new schools and capacity-building activities for researchers, students, PhD candidates, and non-academic staff. Participants examined training content, timing, and mobility structures across ILLUMINA, COLLEGIUM, and DOCTUS sessions. They also discussed the forthcoming events ARE 26 and WIRE Summit in Lisbon, and explored strategies to strengthen the WIRE Hub, Catalyser, and PhD community.

Day 3 opened with shared policy reflections and continued with a session on the Research Assessment Pathway, during which participants examined ways to better support and assess diverse artistic research practices.

These days stand as a testament to the power of shared work and partnership. The event at LMTA underscores the Academy’s commitment to international collaboration and its role in shaping platforms that support the artistic research community.

2025 10 11

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) has been invited to participate in a new international project proposal, building on the successful experience of the Music Theatre and New Technologies (MTNT) project, funded by the European Union through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The PNRR initiative for Higher Artistic and Musical Education focuses on the internationalization of higher artistic institutions, the preservation, promotion, and dissemination of the arts beyond Italy, the integration of new technologies into artistic practice and other EU cultural priorities.

Within this framework, activities included courses, workshops, international educational programs, artistic productions, and cultural exchanges. A consortium of leading Italian institutions—including Accademia della Scala di Milano, Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia and Verona, Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica di Roma, Conservatories from Padua, Verona, Ferrara, La Spezia, Venezia, and Castelfranco (lead partner), as well as the Universities of Padua and Venice—carried out the MTNT project.

One of its highlights was the Conservatorio di Padova’s film inspired by Mozart’s Così fan tutte, which explored the themes of identity, relationships, and the intersection between artistic creation and lived experience. The project was coordinated by Professor Stefano Patarino, Conservatorio di Padova teacher and Erasmus and IR coordinator who played a leading role in designing and implementing the project.

Building on this experience, LMTA has now been invited to join the Conservatorio di Padova in developing a new project proposal within the Erasmus+ KA220 framework. The concept foresees a film production inspired by Baldassarre Galuppi’s opera Il mondo alla rovescia (The World Upside Down).

The original eighteenth-century opera, set on an island where women briefly seize power from men, delivers a moral that reflects the gender stereotypes of its time. The proposed cinematic adaptation aims to critically re-examine this message through a contemporary lens. In the project, a group of students rehearses the opera, sparking debates on gender equality that echo into their own experiences and realities.

This reinterpretation directly addresses gender equality—one of the EU programme’s cross-cutting priorities—while fostering intercultural dialogue, artistic innovation, and the international exchange of students and faculty.

As Stefano Patarino emphasized, students trained in film education, music, performing arts, opera and related fields will enrich the upcoming project with their diverse experiences.”

Join “C-Accelerate Plus” – A European Institute of Innovation and Technology-Funded Project Opening New Opportunities for Student Entrepreneurship and Creative Initiatives

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), together with international partners, has secured €1,340,000 in funding for the C-Accelerate Plus project through the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Initiative. The project aims to strengthen higher education institutions’ capacity for innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and promote closer collaboration with business and societal sectors across Europe.

C-Accelerate Plus is part of FilmEU Cosmos, a broader ecosystem of initiatives connecting education, research, and innovation within the FilmEU Alliance of European higher education institutions specializing in creative and cultural industries. LMTA joined FilmEU in 2023. The alliance strives to unite universities training the creative professionals of the future, foster international cooperation, and create an innovation-driven environment for study and research.

“This achievement demonstrates LMTA’s active involvement in international innovation networks and positions us as a key partner in creating new opportunities for students and the wider creative industries sector,” says Daina Smolskutė Urbanavičienė, Project Lead.

C-Accelerate Plus – Creativity, Ideas, and Implementation

Building on the expertise of partner institutions and leveraging the experience of the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), C-Accelerate Plus nurtures entrepreneurial potential within the arts. It supports academics, students, and creative professionals in transforming artistic concepts into sustainable projects and businesses while maintaining disciplinary integrity.

Guided by the concept of “radical creativity” (Gilson & Madjar, 2011) – encouraging ideas that break away from established norms – the program strategically fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, reshapes networks, and harnesses creative friction to inspire ambitious and socially relevant innovation.

Aligned with the EIT funding framework and integrated into the broader goals of the FilmEU alliance, C-Accelerate Plus seeks to embed entrepreneurship as a cornerstone of Europe’s future university ecosystem.

The project’s mission is to strengthen the creative sector, enhance young professionals’ employability, and position participating universities as European leaders in arts-based innovation. Partner institutions bring extensive expertise in entrepreneurship education – including design-business integration and industry-embedded programs – enriching the project’s potential. The strategy is rooted in practical examples, guided by the HEInnovate self-assessment, and shaped through the development of an Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) to ensure a focused and impactful approach.

Key Activities

• Experiential Entrepreneurship Training – Interdisciplinary courses, mentorship, and practical learning enabling participants to move from concept to implementation.
• Project Acceleration – Tailored support, prototype development, and market validation for creative projects through partnerships with cultural organizations, festivals, venues, publishers, and more.
• Institutional Capacity-Building & Knowledge Transfer – Enhancing university services in intellectual property, business modeling, and stakeholder engagement to support the journey from concept to stage, screen, or market.
• Ecosystem Development – Connecting students, researchers, cultural partners, investors, and public sector actors to foster lasting cultural, social, and economic impact.

Get Involved with C-Accelerate Plus

• For Cultural Partners (festivals, venues, publishers): Co-create pilot projects, host showcase events, mentor teams, or commission project outcomes.
• For Students & Staff: Join multidisciplinary teams, gain access to mentorship and incubation, and test projects with industry feedback.

Project Lead: Daina Smolskutė Urbanavičienė, Head of Arts Management Department, LMTA.

Project Partners:
COFAC / Lusófona University (Lead Partner, Portugal); Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design + Technology (Ireland); LUCA School of Arts (Belgium); Tallinn University (Estonia); Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Lithuania); National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts “Krustyo Sarafov” (Bulgaria); Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (Slovakia); FilmEU Association VZW (Belgium); SP TELEVISAO, SA (Portugal).

Associated Partners: VIA University College (Denmark); Aalto University (Finland).

The NORDPLUS-NORTEAS network, now fully coordinated by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Chair: Assoc. Prof. Andrius Katinas; Coordinator: Giedrė Kabašinskienė) for the next three years, launched its 2025–2026 activity program with this year’s Intensive Course (IC) and Symposium, held from 25–29 August 2025 at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, Estonia.

The event brought together around 40 students and 15 teachers from nine partner institutions and 7 countries: Tampere University, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences (Finland); University of the Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy; Latvian Academy of Culture; Norwegian Theatre Academy, Østfold University College; Stockholm University of the Arts; The National Acting School of Greenland; Tallinn University, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School; University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy; and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

This year’s program focused on Artistic Research (AR) as a valuable tool in BA-level education, with participants exploring its potential through keynotes, workshops, and collaborative projects.

Structure of the Intensive Course

The IC offered two parallel programs—one for students and one for teachers—with shared keynote lectures in the mornings and dedicated workshops in the afternoons.

• Student Program: Students engaged in collaborative group work guided by keynote speakers, culminating in creative presentations. Documentation of both individual and group processes was encouraged as a means of reflection. Keynote highlights included:
  • Outi Condit (FIN) – The Actress (26 August), exploring “The Body”
  • Urmas Lüüs (EST) – The Room (27 August)
  • Jānis Balodis (LAT) – The Word (28 August)
• Teachers’ Symposium: The three-day program provides educators with opportunities to investigate AR as a transformative approach to lifelong learning.
  • Davide Giovanzana (FIN) opened with an introduction to AR.
  • Liina Unt (EST) leed sessions on sharing best practices and exploring innovative teaching methods.
    Afternoons and evenings are dedicated to educator-focused workshops, while joint morning sessions created opportunities for dialogue between teachers and students. Outcomes from the symposium will be compiled into a journal and published on the NORTEAS website.

On August 10 at Klaipėda’s Culture Factory, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) professor Valentinas Masalskis presented a work-in-progress of the play “The Dormitory of the Aviary” together with young actors from Ukraine. The production is based on a play by Lithuanian playwright Mindaugas Nastaravičius, translated into Ukrainian by the students themselves. 

The project brings a symbolic continuity: the same play was first staged in Klaipėda twelve years ago by LMTA students, later forming the Klaipėda Youth Theatre. Now, it returns in a Ukrainian version performed by students and graduates of LMTA’s Erasmus partner, the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University.

After rehearsals in Klaipėda and Kyiv, the premiere will take place on November 15 in Kyiv, supported by a newly established Ukrainian theatre troupe inspired by Masalskis’ Amantes company.

“This is my wish to contribute to Ukraine’s victory,” says Masalskis.

The project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme.

Scenographer – LMTA Associate Professor Renata Valčik.

The IMPACT consortium successfully concluded its Erasmus strategic partnership project in the beautiful city of Lyon, France! The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), the newest member of the consortium, joined the Erasmus project just last year.

The event was hosted by the project coordinator, the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon (CNSMD Lyon, France), in collaboration with the professional partner Les SUBS. It took place during the vibrant multidisciplinary festival in Lyon.

Over an intense and dynamic week (June 14–21), partners from across Europe — CNSMD Lyon (France), the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp (Belgium), and LMTA (Vilnius, Lithuania) — along with a partner from École des Sables (Toubab Dialaw, Senegal), collaborated in person and engaged with the public through a rich program of performances, workshops, and exchanges.

Students from all partner institutions took part in seminars led by lecturers from their respective schools. After seminars programme, students provided evaluations. The seminar titled “Analog Gazes, Moving Bodies: Exploring the Camera as a Partner in Dance,” led by lecturer Greta Grinevičiūtė and Associate Professor Andrius Katinas from LMTA’s Department of Dance and Movement, received the highest praise (see photo diagram).

During the seminars, lecturers encouraged students to explore the complex relationship between gaze, spatial perception, and movement. Through mindfulness exercises, participants investigated how the act of seeing can become a choreographic gesture. By experimenting with phone cameras, they aimed to understand how filming can “touch” and influence movement. The workshops fostered sensitive observation, improvisation, and co-creation between the body, camera, and gaze.

Simultaneously, working group meetings were held with LMTA represented by Senior Officer of International Relations Giedrė Kabašinskienė, Head of the Department of Dance and Movement Andrius Katinas, and Head of Quality and Strategic Planning Natalija Verbickienė. They focused on advancing administrative and strategic matters related to the consortium’s key objective: launching a new joint master’s degree program in dance by 2027.

Congratulations to the 2025 graduates of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre! 

This year, we proudly sent off 248 new professionals – 166 completed their Bachelor’s studies, and 82 earned their Master’s degrees across all four faculties of the Academy.

These aren’t just diplomas – they’re keys to a creative future, to further studies, and bold steps into the worlds of music, theatre, cinema, and dance.

Thank you for choosing LMTA for your academic journey. We hope to meet again in our lecture halls as you continue your path of artistic discovery and personal growth.

Best of luck, dear graduates – may your talent inspire and transform the cultural world!