Flabbergast Theatre: Paper Swans

About

Groundhog Day meets Waiting for Godot.

Paper Swans is a one act play set in a closed park at night. A security guard on patrol finds a young woman in a ballet dress sitting on the bench making paper swans. He tries to question her to find out the reason behind her actions. That locks them in a continuous never ending loop of having to encounter each other again and again to find out the meaning behind those paper swans.

It is a piece drawing on the traditions of the Theatre of the Absurd, visual symbolism and Vyte’s personal experience as a woman from a post-Soviet country (Lithuania) coming to the UK. It explores the themes of oppression, freedom of speech and the luxury of being oneself without having to justify it.

Reviews

‘As soon as we note that Paper Swans is a Flabbergast production, we know we need to see it. We know that - whatever else - Paper Swans is sure to be both experimental and innovative. We’re not wrong... it’s gloriously done.’ ★★★★★ - BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS

‘Balletic, intelligent, elusive and sometimes funny, with fine supporting music, this is great theatre for those who love the art form’ ★★★★ - THREE WEEKS

‘This absurdist play is confident in what it is and sits neatly in the world of “Waiting for Godot,” “Zoo Story,” and “No Exit,” with its mix of the surreal, the human, the nightmarish, and the inevitable... two confident professionals skilled in their artistry weaving a tale that dips unexpectedly into horror...It is off-kilter and discomforting, thought-provoking and compelling, intelligent and complicated, as the audience searches for sense in the senseless.’ ★★★★ - EDFEST

‘an extraordinary piece of theatre that’s a gut punch to the senses and will have the viewer thinking about its implications for a long time afterwards’ ★★★★ - LOTHIAN LIFE

‘Paper Swans is dark and unusual but really sucks you in...it calls for the freedom to act unexplainably, something you don’t realise you long for until you see a show like this.’ ★★★★ - FLORA GOSLING

‘The play is an open book... It is a great text, carefully staged, visually beautiful, and performed with great gusto. No, we don’t need to have all the answers...’ TOTAL THEATRE

About the company

Since our inception in 2010, Flabbergast Theatre has been a beacon of innovative storytelling, weaving narratives that are as dynamic as the performances themselves.

We are committed to exploration of all theatrical styles adding to our excellent reputation in puppetry, physical comedy, and physical theatre and exploring other expressions and pedagogy such as Butoh, Grotowski, Lecoq and Mask.

In devising we consider that our creatives are our greatest resource and as such endeavour to create theatre through an extensive and collaborative research and development process using performers from many disciplines including acting, dance, clowning, circus arts and puppetry. Furthermore, we are committed to the development and creative growth of our ensemble both within the context of Flabbergast Theatre but also as artists in their own right, extending to production and co-production of their own artistic output. More information about Flabbergast can be found on our website: flabbergasttheatre.co.uk

Vyte Garriga is a London based actress, writer and physical theatre performer from Lithuania. She trained at RADA MA Theatre Lab. She works with companies specialising in physical and devised theatre. Vyte is an associate artist with Flabbergast Theatre, with whom she toured the UK and Europe with acclaimed productions of ‘Macbeth’, ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Flabbergast helped her produce her first full-length play ‘Paper Swans’, supported by Arts Council England.

As a writer, Vyte is interested in myths, Surrealism and dream logic. She is experimenting with every form of storytelling to explore whether a narrative led by a female protagonist can be understood as a human experience beyond her gender. Her play ‘2nd Portrait of Dorian G’ commissioned by Bloomsbury Festival and Macready Theatre was nominated for an Offie 2023.

More information about Vyte and her work can be found on her website: vytegarriga.com

Additional information

Duration: 60 mins

Age guidance: 12+

Content warning: Use of fake blood, haze, stylised references to violence.