Augustas Gornatkevičius (1994-) is a theatre director from Lithuania. Born in Vilnius, he studied directing at the Lithuanian Music & Theatre Academy at both Bachelor’s and Master’s level (under Yana Ross).

Even as a student, his works were included in the repertoire of different theatres, including ‘Lonely’ (by Gerhart Hauptmann) at Vilnius Old Theatre at 3rd year of BA, and ‘Roberto Zucco’ (Bernard-Marie Koltès) at Juozo Miltinio dramos teatras as his BA final project. Today, he has collaborated with almost all the main theatres in Lithuania, including directing shows the Vilnius and Kaunas National theatres.

A large part of his career is creating theatre for children and young adults. While most of his other works focus on interpreting dramaturgy, whether contemporary or revised classics, his performances for children are mostly devised and often based on real stories. Emilių Emilis focuses on the power of playfulness and child’s imagination, while Sibiro Haiku dwelves into the harsh realities of deportation and grief. All of his shows for younger audiences have been nominated in Lithuania’s Golden Crosses awards.

Augustas' theatrical manner is based on the constant combination of humour with serious topics, shifting visuals, active physical movement, the use of pop culture symbols recognisable to the audience, and the enrichment of classical drama with the contemporary issues of today. Centring on questions of identity, Augustas searches for moments on stage that capture the present contemporary plays and queer classics.

Alongside directing, Augustas also teaches at the Lithuanian Music & Theatre Academy. He first started working there not long after graduation when he created a new module on identity and political theatre, and now leads a theatre directing programme in the Klaipėda department. Additionally, he has collaborated particularly closely with the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, where he worked as an assistant alongside directors such as Yana Ross, Oliver Frljič, Ivan Wyrypajew, and Jernej Lorenci, and now acts as head of ensemble and a member of the theatre’s artistic board.