Martynas Petrikas

Martynas Petrikas is an Associate Professor at the Department of Digital Cultures and Communication, Faculty of Communication, Vytautas Magnus University. His research focuses on theatre history, criticism, and the socio-political dimensions of theatrical practice. He holds a Doctorate in Art History (2009) from Vytautas Magnus University, with a dissertation on Lithuanian theatre criticism as a social practice (1920–1940).

Research interests include avant-garde theatre in Central-Eastern Europe, Lithuanian-Polish cultural relations, and the intersection of theatre with politics and memory. Notable publications analyze the role of Polish theatre in Vilnius, Bourdieusian field theory applied to theatre criticism, and the social spaces of avant-garde performance. His work spans monographs like *Reclaimed Avant-Garde* (2018) and contributions to international journals such as *Nordic Theatre Studies*.

Petrikas actively participates in academic associations including the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) and the Nordic Theatre Scholars Association. He has served on international theatre festival juries, chairs the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, and advises Lithuania’s Ministry of Culture on theatre evaluation. Teaching focuses on theatre history, critical theory, and project management in stage arts.

His research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, linking theatre studies to sociology, cultural geography, and political science. Current projects explore post-Soviet theatre identity, transnational avant-garde networks, and the materiality of performance spaces.