America in the Bathhouse
It became the first Lithuanian-language play performed in public in present-day Lithuania when a group of Lithuanian activists staged it on 20 August 1899 in Palanga (then part of the Courland Governorate, Russian Empire).
The play depicts an episode from the everyday life of the Lithuanian village – a resourceful man swindles money from a naive woman and escapes to the United States.
Due to its relevant plot, small cast, and simple decorations, the play was very popular with the Lithuanian amateur theater.
[1] Vincas, a resourceful tailor, gets a job with a struggling peasant Bekampis who desperately needs 200 rubles to repay his debts to Jew Faibčikas.
However, Vincas seduces naive Agota with stories about the easy life in America and convinces her to steal the money from her father.
[3] During the Lithuanian National Revival, resisting various Russification and Polonization efforts, Lithuanians increasingly become more culturally active – published and distributed Lithuanian-language publications that were outlawed by the Lithuanian press ban, organized secret Lithuanian-language schools for children, established secret societies (cultural and educational societies were officially allowed only after the Russian Revolution of 1905), and hosted evenings with music, dances, games, and occasional amateur theater performances.
[3] She selected America in the Bathouse as it was easy to stage and already approved by the state censors and recruited Povilas Višinskis to help with finding actors.
Despite various difficulties and a last-minute police interruption, the performance was a success and even netted a profit of 100 rubles that was donated to Vincas Kudirka.
[3] Vaineikis obtained a permit to stage America in the Bathhouse in Libau (Liepāja) during the winter break on 16 January 1900.
The same group managed to obtain permits to stage a different comedy, Devil Trapped (Velnias spąstuose), on 21 July in Libau and on 23 July in Mitau (Jelgava), but when Višinskis hung Lithuanian posters in Pašvitinys and Joniškis, the permits were revoked and actors were arrested and questioned by the police.
[12] Mykolas Sleževičius staged the play in Odessa in 1904,[16] while two performances took place in present-day Latvia in Subate in February 1904 and in Grīva in December 1904.
[13] When the Lithuanian press ban was lifted in 1904 and cultural societies were allowed in 1905, there were a number of legal performances in Lithuania, including on 31 October 1904 in Šiauliai (Kazimieras Venclauskis played Bekampis;[17] Vincas Kapsukas turned the gathering into a political protest against the Tsar),[6] on 6 February 1905 in Vilnius,[18] by the Daina Society on 5 March 1905 in Kaunas,[19] by politician Kazys Grinius on 28 May 1905 in Marijampolė,[6] composer Stasys Šimkus on 2 November 1905 in Jurbarkas.
