The Šviesa Artists' Society (

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

: ''Panevėžio artistų mylėtojų draugija „Šviesa“''; ) was a short-lived music and drama society established in 1924 by

Andrius Domaševičius Andrius Domaševičius (30 November 1865 – 19 March 1935) was a Lithuanian politician and gynecologist. He was one of the founders and an active member of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, Social Democrat movement in Lithuania. Early ...

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

History

A socialist, Andrius Domaševičius actively participated in organizing workers' trade unions and other workers' activities. In 1924 he established the Šviesa Artists' Society. The society also had chapters in ,

Biržai Biržai (, also known by several alternative names) is a city in northern Lithuania. Famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Name The exact origin of th ...

, and Naujamiestis. Although Domaševičius was its chairman, the society was headed by electrician J. Tarvydavičius, and later by actor Stasys Petraitis. The society acted out various plays, such as '' Marat'', ''

Tadas Blinda Tadas Blinda (1846–1877) was a Lithuanian outlaw and folk hero. Biography He was born in the village of Telšiai District Municipality, Kinčiuliai, Kovno Governorate, in the region of Samogitia, and inherited his father's 40 hectares at the age ...

'',

Oscar Milosz Oscar Vladislas de Lubicz Milosz (; ) (28 May 1877 or 15 May 1877 – 2 March 1939) was a French language poet, playwright, novelist, essayist and representative of Lithuania at the League of Nations.Czesław Miłosz, Cynthia L. Haven. Czesła ...

's ''Two Brothers'', Konstantinas Jasiukaitis's ''Alkani žmonės'' (Hungry People), ''Penktas įsakymas'' (The Fifth Order) and others. The society also had an orchestra, which was headed by Koveris and later by P. Rutkauskas. The members also would recite

Julius Janonis Julius Janonis (4 April 1896 – 30 May 1917) was a Lithuanian poet and writer. Born to a family of poor peasants, he began writing and translating poems at the age of 14. Learning from Maironis, he wrote about nature and suffering of the poor. Hi ...

's poems. On 17 February 1925, along with the Panevėžys Workers' Trade Union, the society (then referred to as the Panevėžys Workers' Drama and Music Society „Šviesa“; ''Panevėžio darbininkų dramos muzikos draugija "Šviesa"'') was erased from the official society register. After the

1926 Lithuanian coup d'état The 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état ( Lithuanian: ) was a military coup d'état in Lithuania that replaced the democratically elected government with a authoritarian regime led by Antanas Smetona. The coup took place on 17 December 1926 and wa ...

, the society was fully dissolved.

References

{{Reflist Clubs and societies in Lithuania 1924 establishments in Lithuania Organizations established in 1924