World University Theatre Congress Comes to Vilnius to Tackle Global Challenges

What does it mean to create theatre at a university when your country is at war? Is the climate crisis and technological leap changing what is told on stage – and how? How prepared is the younger generation to withstand global challenges – and can university theatre build their resilience? 

These questions will be explored in Vilnius on 8–13 July at the XIII World Congress of the International Association of University Theatres (AITU-IUTA), accompanied by the International University Theatre Festival. Organised by Vilnius University (VU) Culture Centre, this is the first time the event has been held in the Northern and Baltic regions. It will bring together creators, researchers, educators and students from more than 20 countries to the Lithuanian capital. For an entire week, the university theatre will become not only a space for artistic expression, but a kind of barometer of the world – a place to reflect on the most complex experiences of our time and seek answers to questions arising in the face of global change. 

A new role for university theatre in a changing world 

VU has a distinguished university theatre tradition that, over 400 years ago, played a significant role in Vilnius's cultural life as an important city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Performances created by students and lecturers, based on motifs from ancient plays, were staged in the city’s squares and university spaces before diverse audiences – from townspeople and noblemen to visiting guests. 

Today, almost all major universities in the world have their own theatres, fulfilling different functions: for some, they serve as important cultural hubs for the academic community; others focus on artistic education for students; while others operate as laboratories for experimental creativity and new stage forms. 

“As the world changes, so do the university and its theatre. The relevance of our chosen congress theme –  university theatre in the face of global challenges – has been confirmed by enormous interest: we received more than 40 paper proposals. Such attention shows that the university culture community feels a strong need to discuss change and rethink the role of university theatre in today’s world,” says Gintė Jokubaitienė, Head of VU Culture Centre. 

Photo from the Vilnius University Drama Theatre Archive.

Kyiv student theatre to feature at the international festival

The International University Theatre Festival, running alongside the congress, will impress with its geographical reach and diversity of forms and themes. The programme features 16 events – from performances on theatre stages to shows in urban spaces. Audiences can look forward to drama, street, dance , and puppet theatre works, experimental projects, and performances born of academic research and creative laboratories. 

The festival programme includes troupes from Lithuania, Ukraine, Costa Rica, Colombia, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Morocco and other countries. For many of them, this will be their first encounter with a Lithuanian audience. 

One of the most anticipated festival performances is the puppet theatre show “Vertep. Hope” by students of the Kyiv National Ivan Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University. The production draws on the Vertep tradition – a centuries-old form of Ukrainian puppet theatre telling the story of the birth of Christ. The creators transpose this tradition into the contemporary reality of Ukraine, where, in the face of war, the question of what allows one to hold on to hope is being sought. 

The performance has already been presented at international festivals in Poland and Slovakia, and in 2025 was recognised as the best professional puppet theatre production in Ukraine. In Vilnius, audiences will have the rare opportunity to see a work born in a country that is today creating theatre under wartime conditions. 

Photo by Simonas Lukoševičius.

Theatre open to the city and the University community 

While congress participants discuss the role of university theatre in the contemporary world, the VU community and city residents will be invited not only to watch performances, but to become part of this international theatre celebration. 

On 8 July at 12:00, an opening ceremony will take place in the VU Small Hall, followed at 18:30 in the VU Theatre Hall by a theatrical musical performance revealing important symbols of Lithuanian culture. Excerpts from the work of VU Drama Theatre and the VU Song and Dance Ensemble will come together into a unified narrative centred on the four seasons, reflecting the symbols of nature and culture cherished by the Lithuanian people. 

On 9 July, a vibrant international theatre procession will take place in Vilnius Old Town. Festival participants from countries around the world will march from Vilnius University’s Great Courtyard to the Lėlė Theatre, and Pilies Street will briefly transform into a living stage, filled with music, movement , and theatrical improvisation. 

The majority of festival events are free of charge and open to the public. The full congress and festival programme is available at www.congress2026.kc.vu.lt.