Childhood in Baldone and as a Stage Worker in Daile: The Story of Actor Lauris Subatnieks

Childhood in Baldone and as a stage worker in Daile

Lauris is a boy from Baldones, who was mostly raised by his grandmother, including her sisters, whom Lauris still cares for, and he, often together with his son Sebastiáns, lovingly visits the ladies. He also initially went to school in Baldone, then in Riga 8th secondary school. It is interesting that the position as an actor in Daile is not the first official work of Subatnieks in the theater – initially he earned money as a stage worker.

In the 8th studio of Daile

Subatnieks joined the cast at a time when Kārlis Auškāps was still the artistic director of the Daile Theater, who was also the head of the 8th studio. Intars Rešetins, Lauris Dzelzītis, Gundars Silakaktiņš, Aldis Siliņš, Gints Grāvelis, Aija Dzērve, Sarmīte Rubule and others studied in the same company with Subatnieks, or Subi, as Lauri was called by his fellow students, who together with Kārli Auškāpa managed to work in the joyful “Preilenīte” by Jukums Palēvičs. . On the other hand, he studied acting with director Anna Eižvertiņa and stage speaking with actress Lidija Pupures.

After entering the theater, the work with the actors of the 8th studio was continued by the new artistic director of Dailes, Mihails Gruzdovs, and his spouse, actress Indra Roga, who also started creating the first productions at that time. Lauris has been an actor at the Daile Theater since 2002, but he started participating in performances much earlier – from 1997. The theater specially created the performances “Abortion”, “3 friends”, as well as “Salingers, Hemingway, Beckett” for the 8th studio.

The archive of Latvian Television has preserved a recording from 2003, in which the young actors of Studio 8 speak about each other. The girls of the course called Subatnieks a gentleman, an intelligent guy, the friendliest person on the course who has no enemies, adding that Lauris is also very creative, sincere and open. Even today, both lightness and concern for the interlocutor shine around Lauri at the same time – Subatnieks knows how to listen.

Paul’s time in Daile

Subatnieks and the entire 8th studio were lucky – they, along with other Daileans, still experienced Paul’s time in Daile. (Later, Paul focused more on cooperation with the National Theater.) The young people had the opportunity to demonstrate their singing and dancing skills in Paul’s musical “Green Jump”, as well as in the musical show “Count of Monte Cristo”. The enthusiasm of youth was also useful in the song play “Tobago” by Uldas Marhilēvičs and Māras Zālīte, which was loved by the audience.

“Long” means “long”

Lauris is a good dancer, but, according to himself, he is not a great singer. However, this did not prevent him from creating the group “Ilga” together with his fellow students and friends Aldi Siliņa and Gundar Silakaktins: “Initially, the purpose of the group “Ilga” was a musical gift for colleagues on the 8th of March. The fact that it will last through the years and that we will even participate in some music in surveys, it didn’t even occur to me,” admits Lauris. It seems that the group “Ilga” is one of the examples that Lauris, once started, does not tend to neglect them. This is also evidenced by the friendship with Aldi Siliņi and Gundar Silakaktiņi – now the study mates meet not only in the musical group, but are family friends, meet together with their wives and children.

It’s not for nothing that the program “Congratulations, jubilee!” addressed not only Gundar for a surprise birthday greeting, but also his wife, costume artist Jurati Silakaktins, who remembers that she first met her future husband Gundar and his friend Lauri during the production of the play “The Count of Monte-Cristo”. In addition, the musical group “Ilga” is Jurate’s idea.

In his birthday greeting, Gundars also remembers the story of his first acquaintance with Lauri: “It was during the entrance exams. I, a boy from Liepāja, wanted to call home to share my emotions after the exams, but I didn’t have an analog phone card, there were no mobile phones even then. And Lauris helped me – it seems that it was worth two lats, the card he gave me so that I could call my family,” laughs Gundars.

Subatnieks and his friends like to laugh, and as Jurate adds: “We think that you can laugh at everything!” – Gundars has also invited Lauri to several of his black comedies. Many people remember the psychological thriller “The Suitor No. 1”, in which Subatnieks played in partnership with Indra Briķi. It’s a story about a famous bestseller author Eric, who has written a series of novels about a Victorian heroine: “Only he himself is sick of this heroine. When one day Eric (Subatnieks – red.) suffers a car accident, is saved by former nurse Peggy (Brike – ed.), who is the most passionate fan of his novels. Peggy takes the writer to her home and forces him to write a new book about her favorite character – one that would be dedicated only to her,” – the story of the content of “Pieluľjajės no. 1” is described in the Daile Theater message.

Director Silakaktiņš, together with Subatnieks and other actors, played another black comedy called “Ugly” as a grotesque metaphor for the technological possibilities of modern beauty care. True, the plastic surgeon’s scalpel, cynically mocking the role of the Creator, but one person’s possibly very beautiful face can be multiplied in many persons, – behind the faces you can hide years, gender, and also personality, – only: or even more is the issue of ugliness pressing? Maybe about authenticity or truthfulness?

Wife Linda Saulite

Congratulate your beloved man on his birthday for the program “Happy anniversary!” Linda Saulīte, an entrepreneur who studied economics and finance, also agrees, laughing that Laura and her paths would never have crossed if not for Laura’s classmate Intars Rešetins: “Intars tried to introduce me to Laura, and in the end we agreed that I would leave the new to watch the actor Subatniekus in Jillinger’s then new play “Penelope and Dick”. In Gillinger’s signature style, the show was quite scandalous: not only in its bodily nudity, but also in its manipulation of free values. Subatnieks and his performance partner Rēzija Kalniņa had to make do with very small and austere costumes for a while, which Linda Saulīte, endowed with a good sense of humor, laughed at and after the performance sent the young actor a sunflower with a note: “You may call me!”

A mere two hours later an artist also called, both went to a cafe and talked until morning. Linda notes that she spent much of the conversation laughing at Laura’s wit. When she got to know him better, she noticed that Lauris is quite an introverted person, but his sense of humor, which is still present, is said to be a helpful tool in various everyday situations.

For example, having missed the holiday greeting on March 8, Lauris greeted his wife on March 9. And not with an apology, but easily and cheerfully – with a compliment: “Linda is such a special woman that even on March 8, she should be congratulated on the 9th!” says Linda, adding, “‘I still think it’s funny!’

First main

Lauris has participated in quite a few morally challenging shows, the first main one was in the show “Tas trakais, trakais Harijs” (2007, Lauris was 29 at the time). The author of the play, Miller, talks about the current contexts of the sexual revolution of the 1960s: “You have to follow your nature” – and so is Harry. It seems that Lauris is a different person in life, loving and responsible, but it would be foolish to deny that crazy Harry is in each of us. The performance was a success, the then young actress Ilze Ķuzule also made her debut in the play, the defiantly charged and masculinely sensual Kaukulis took part in the musical performance, as well as the other “Iron Wolf” musician Tobis – the audience argued, Jillinger seemed to have achieved his goal, and Subatnieks went towards other roles.

Female roles

The female roles of Subatnik can be divided into good and bad. The role in the play “Manu sievu sauc Moriss” (2008, Laurim – 30), can be placed in the bad role on the shelf, with the title: obscene. The outwardly masculine and stable director Atkočuns challenged the audience to think about what happens when women take on the leading roles of men, while men become infantile. Psychotherapist Rudzītis objected to the director that each of us has both a feminine and a masculine side, and that it is important to realize this, and art is the best public way to think about it. The audience ran to the show because there was something to see, while Subatnieks, Rešetins and other actors played to their heart’s content.

Reshetins and Subatnieks met again in the female roles in the comedy “Primadonnas”, which Jillinger seems to have made as a joke box office piece (2011, Laurim – 33). From the point of view of the traditional morality of “what is appropriate and what is not”, here the dressing of the two young men in the characters of girls should definitely be placed in the shelf of good roles, where both actors had something to play again, squeezing into both women’s underwear and the fullness of skirts, only – a message to the audience, it seems , it was in vain to search there. Part of the audience laughed out loud, and part yawned a little, even though Rešetins and Subatnieks were sweet and charming. And they don’t lack taste either.

Later, Rešetins also started staging plays himself, inviting Lauri to his productions, and – it is interesting that the play “Total Failure” (2021) both fellow students directed by together: “LAURS will be able to reap LAURS!!!” Rešetins once commented on the general rehearsal of the show for Latvian Television.

Leading directors and major roles

Lauri does not have one director for whom the actor is the main favorite, but many leading directors have gladly worked with Subatnieks – both because of his acting qualities and also because of his human qualities. For example, in Laura Groza’s play Peter Šefus “Equus” (2015, Laurim 37), the actor was offered the role of doctor Martin Dyserts, for which Subatnieks was nominated for the “Gamer’s Night” award in the “Actor of the Year” category. Laura has also invited Lauri in a very charming play “My Lady Nicotine” (2012, Laurim 34) about the English gentlemen’s cigar smoking tradition, which is called Lady Nicotine, sometimes competing with the ladies of gentlemen’s lives.

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Kolorits Lauris plays the role of the father in the play “Brutal and son” (2016, Laurim 38) directed by Dmitriy Petrenko, he plays with his colleagues Vita Vārpina (mother), Mārtiņa Poča (son) and Dartas Danevičas (son’s girlfriend). Lauris seems to be gradually loosening up and becoming an increasingly sought-after actor – he is also the 2016/2017 the best actor of the season in the internal vote of Daile Theater employees.

In recent years, Laura’s skills and talent have been proven with many productions: in the main role in the heartfelt story of the Estonian classicist Oskar Luts – about the period of the writer’s own life in a church school in Estonia at the beginning of the 20th century – “Spring”, which was produced by the author’s compatriot, director Prits Pedajas (2022, Laurim 44). Interestingly, this novel is recognized as the second most important literary work in Estonia, and its dramatization is the most staged theater work. In Estonia, everyone knows the novel, and every Estonian should visit the village of Palamuze, where the novel takes place, at least once in their life. It is the island of feelings of Estonian childhood.

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Masterfully drawn characters of Laura are also in Martin McDonagh’s very black comedy “The Irish Skull”, (2022, directed by Amy Milburn ex Marchant), which could also be called tomb stories, and in “The Retreat”, directed by Gat Schmidt, (2022), which the author of the play, Michael Winn called it a serious comedy. Laura’s colleague in the show, Kristīne Nevarauska, once said: “While working on this show, I wondered: am I successful or not?”

Lauri, like all of us, from time to time – like it or not – has to think about it. Before getting down to it, it would be good to note: who do we compare ourselves to and in what mirror do we look, right?