Four Lithuanian artists take Edinburgh Fringe by storm

Four Lithuanian artists performed solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest international arts festival, which ran in the Scottish capital from 7-31 August with more than 61,000 performances across over 4,000 shows.

A family history on stage

Actress Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė used just a single chair as a prop in her one-woman play "A Pebble in the Road," recreating her childhood apartment in Soviet-occupied Vilnius through four Christmas Eve scenes. The play traces three generations of Lithuanian women, blending warm family memories with darker chapters of history, including arrests, deportations and death. It was inspired by her grandmother, who was born in 1905 and lived to 103, living through the final years of the Russian Empire, two world wars, Soviet occupation and Lithuania's restored independence. Dapkūnaitė said the family story reflects the wider history of the country, adding that many visitors, including Ukrainians, find the play especially resonant given Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

Comedians winning over British audiences

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Evaldas Karosas, who became a full-time comedian after moving to the UK in 2018 and recently signed with talent agency Off The Kerb, made his Fringe debut with the solo hour "A Very Capable Man." Justina Seselskaitė's show "Settled" explores her life as an immigrant in northern England, and she was recently longlisted for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. Donatas Staneika, performing alongside British comedian Ridwan Hussain in a split-bill show poking fun at Eastern European stereotypes and immigrant life, has done more than 100 gigs during this year's festival.