A Pebble in the Road is a story of the personal and the political: Ingeborga Dapkunaite tells the stories of three generations of her family as they live through political tumult.
The piece features minimal set or props — Dapkunaite allows us to imagine the scene for ourselves, with rich and vivid descriptions. She uses her childhood as a lens through which to explore Lithuanian history, through two world wars, numerous occupations, and ultimately one family home.
Dapkunaite is an acclaimed actor, and this piece makes it evident why. She gave a beautifully compelling performance, and kept me enthralled throughout. She beautifully embodied childlike wonder, as she shared stories of family Christmases, and a gripping quality as she told of family members being threatened by the NKVD. Her words were often poignant and beautiful, and had the quality of a memory which sticks with you.
However, the sparseness was a challenge for me in some moments, as I felt that the narrative descended into histories of Lithuania which lacked a personal feel.
At one point, Dakupta told a story of dancing to Frankie Valli’s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,’ which brought a different, more exciting atmosphere to the piece, in turn adding dynamism. More moments like this would have been welcome in order to keep the performance from swerving into a lecture.
A perspective shift at the end, to Ingeborga as an adult, was moving, but in my opinion did not adequately tie together the story or its larger themes. Despite the personal nature of the piece, a little more intimacy would have been welcome and furthered the performance’s emotional impact.
A Pebble in the Road is a tender reminder of childhood memory in amongst political upheaval, and was an interesting look at social history. With a little more attention paid to the emotional intentions of the piece, it has the potential to be deeply moving and eye-opening.
A Pebble in the Road has now finished its run at Fringe 2026.
Image provided to The Student as press material.
