The leader of the Sate Small Theatre of Vilnius Rimas Tuminas is among the most prominent directors of contemporary Lithuanian theatre. After graduating from Moscow A. Lunacharsky Art Institute (GITIS) in 1978, next year Tuminas started his career at the State Academic Drama Theatre and stood out from the general repertory of this theatre already with his first works. In performances directed by Tuminas daily life turns imperceptibly into poetry, drama acquires a tinge of tender irony and every detail on the stage arouses the audience's emotions. His performances are dominated not by effects of directing, but by a playful improvisational acting of the actors. The most talented Lithuanian actors perform in the productions of the Small Theatre: Arvydas Dapšys, Eglė Gabrėnaitė, Gediminas Girdvainis, Sigitas Račkys, Arūnas Sakalauskas, Andrius Žebrauskas as well as the young actors, former Tuminas’s students.
In Lithuania and abroad Rimas Tuminas has staged about 40 different productions.
Foreign theatres eagerly invite Tuminas to work for them. He worked in Gothenburg City Theatre (Sweden), The National Theatre of Iceland, Vakhtangov Theatre (Russia), Sovremennik Theatre (Russia), Dundie Rep Theatre (UK), Vasa Theatre (Finland), Wspolcsesny Theatre (Poland), and STUDIO Theatre (Poland).
As well Lithuanian productions by Tuminas have toured many countries and international festivals in Canada, Ireland, England, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Iceland, Russia, France, Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, USA, Italy, South Korea, Columbia, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Rimas Tuminas was born on the 20th of January 1952 in Lithuania.
- From 1970 to 1974, he studied TV artistic direction at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
- In 1978, he graduated from A. Lunachiarsky Theatre Institute (known as GITIS) where he was granted a diploma to theatre direction.
- From 1979 to 1990, he worked as a theatre director at Lithuanian Academic Drama Theatre.
- Since 1981 , he has been a professor of acting and theatre directing of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
- From 1990, after founding the company till now, he has been an Artistic Director of the Small State Theatre of Vilnius.
- In 1994, he was named Chief Director of the Lithuanian State Academic Theatre. When in 1998 the theare was granted the name of Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, he became its General Director.
- In 1994, Rimas Tuminas was granted the National prize for The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, for Smile upon us, Lord by Grigorijus Kanovicius and Galilee of Bertholt Brecht.
- In 1998 , the President of Lithuania decorated Rimas Tuminas with the order of the Grand Duke Gediminas 3rd degree.
Performances directed by Rimas Tuminas:
2006
- Trufaldino, or The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, STUDIO Theatre (Warsaw, Poland)
- The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, Gothenburg City Theatre (Sweden)
2005
- Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
- The Last Months by Furio Bordon, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
2004
- Madagascar by Marius Ivaškevičius, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
- The Idiot by Fiodor Dostoyevsky, Gothenburg City Theatre (Sweden)
2003
- The Family Stories by Biljana Srbljanovic, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
- Richard III by Shakespeare, The National Theatre of Iceland (Reikyavik, Iceland)
2002
- Waitting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
- Trufaldino by Carlo Goldoni, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius
- Government Inspector by Nikolay Gogol, The Theatre of the name of Vakhtangov (Moscow, Russia)
2001
- Government Inspector by Nikolay Gogol, The State Small Theatre of Vilnius.
- Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, The WSPOLCZESNY Theatre (Wroclaw, Poland)
- The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, The Dundie Rep Theatre (Dundie, Scotland)
2000
- We Play Schiller after Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, The SOVREMENNIK Theatre (Moscow, Russia)
- The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, The National Theatre of Icelande (Reikyavik, Iceland)
1999
- Richard III by Shakespeare, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1998
- Oedipus Rex by Sofocle, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1997
- The Masquerade by Mikhail Lermontov, The Small Theatre of Vilnius
1996
- Lituanica by Saulius Saltenis, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1995
- Dom Juan by Moliere, Vasa Theatre (Vasa, Finland)
- Dom Juan by Moliere, The National Theatre of Iceland (Reikyavik, Iceland)
1994
- Smile Upon Us, Lord by Grigorijus Kanovicius, The Small Theatre of Vilnius
1993
- The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, The national Theatre of Iceland (Reikyavik, Iceland)
- Performance was recognized as the best performance of the year in Iceland and was awarded with the National Prize of Iceland for the theatre.
1992
- Uncle Vania by Anton Chekhov, Vasa Theatre (Vasa, Finland)
- Performance was recognized as the best performance of the year in Iceland.
- Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, The Small Theatre of Vilnius
1990
- The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, The Small Theatre of Vilnius
1988
- Here Shall Be No Death by Valdas Kukulas and Rimas Tuminas, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1987
- The People Are Living Here by Athol Fughart, The Lithuanian State Youth Theatre (Vilnius)
1986
- One More Time There Lies the Sea of Lights (Jeane) by Aleksandr Galin, The Lithuanian State Youth Theatre (Vilnius).
1985
- As if We Were Strangers by Andrey Kuternicky, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius).
1984
- The Guests Come Before the Thunderstorm by Romualdas Lankauskas, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1983
- The Queen of Snow by Yevgeny Shwartz, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
- A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennesse Williams, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius).
- Quiet Night by Harold Muller, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius).
1981
- The Variations of the Fairy Drage by Andrey Kuternicky, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1980
- Emigrant from Brisben by George Shehzode, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1979
- Melody for a Peafowl by Osvald Zagradnik, The Theatre of the Name of Stanislavsky in Moscow (Moskow, Russia)
- The Blue Foal by Maria Clara Machado, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
1978
- The Winter by Yordan Radichkov, The Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Vilnius)
