The theater play The Mother, adapted from Russian author Maxim Gorky's novel of the same title, will be staged in China by Lithuania's State Small Theatre of Vilnius.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Other than directing the play, Glushajev himself plays the role of Semionov, the son.

"It's like eating while breathing," says Glushajev of acting and directing at the same time.

In 2008, Glushajev studied directing at the Lithuanian Theater and Music Academy under established theater director Rimas Tuminas, whose plays The Three Sisters, Madagascar and Masquerade were presented in Beijing last year.

Glushajev also spent two years studying at Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom.

He also worked as an actor in productions by Tuminas and was his apprentice for some time.

Tuminas established the State Small Theatre of Vilnius in 1990. The same year, he directed the theater's first play, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.

Tuminas had been looking for a venue for his theater for years and finally found one in the heart of Vilnius in 2005.

The theater has become an important part of Lithuanian culture.