“Latvian theater has not been in such a situation!” Bright incidents in the strangest season

Publicity (Kristaps Kalns) photo

Anita Bormane, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”

The National Theater with 27 award nominations, brilliant success for the New Riga Theater, Liepāja, Valmiera Theater, new, pandemically dictated, but undeniably innovative forms of theater, as well as a bright influx of independent theaters, especially in the field of performances for children and youth.

This is how the harvest of the last theater season, which was interrupted by a pandemic, can be described, the fruits of which were unveiled yesterday at the announcement ceremony of the Latvian theater’s highest rating “Players’ Night”.

One of the nominees, playwright Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce, who was named “Boy Who Seen in the Dark” in the category “Achievement of the Year in Original Drama” (this performance staged at the Walter Sīlis National Theater also claims the title of the Small Form of the Year) said: Speaking of parables, last season of the theater passed a wild storm on the edge of the steep bank – it was bent, but did not break. Passed. And now that the winds have subsided and you have to start living again, it’s time to read amber by the sea and evaluate what was worth it. ”

Eduards Liniņš, a member of the jury, commentator, translator, said: In the late 1980s. It is to be hoped that the opportunities created by this crisis will turn into a new quality. “

Theater critic Andris Rutkēviča emphasized: “Theater has clearly established itself as a full-time art. There were also a lot of projects that were difficult to understand in terms of authorship – not who created them, but to whom to attribute them, because there were many inter-theater, transnational projects. ”

Jury member and critic Undine Adamaite, evaluating this strange, jerky theater season, says that “the jerky search for the language of form will only benefit the theater, although for the time being everything is still in a confused state. In the comments, people were surprised that the National Theater, in the opinion of many – the “grandfather” of the theater – has launched the e-theater project “White Cube”. In fact, it has long been one of the youngest theaters. ”

The chairman of the jury, theater scientist Līga Ulberte, last season especially highlights the fact that especially independent theaters have been very active in creating an offer for children and young people.

Eduards Liniņš confirms to Latvijas Avīze that the jury has managed to watch practically all the performances that had been stopped due to an emergency situation, and this year it has been even more closely controlled with the help of a special form on the web, which was a kind of report. In the future, it is planned to slightly change the cyclicality of the jury’s work to include the current events that take place in the summer, especially at the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival.

This interrupted theater season is special with the introduction of a new nomination “Event of the Year in the Digital Environment”, which is both extensive and rather vague. “This is because the reality has fallen on our heads a little bit,” admits E. Liniņš. The jury has encountered several problems in the evaluation of e-theater performances, “because technical works appear in these works of art, the use of media, which we may not be really competent to evaluate. This applies, for example, to the work of a cinematographer or a video montage, which we can assess within our comprehension. There was an idea to evaluate only online performances, but it turned out to be very difficult to separate, and there were not many such performances. There have also been cases when the material has not been assembled, but enters the air not at the time of creation, but later as a record.

Among the nominees, Eduards Liniņš, along with the leader of the National Theater, highlights the Liepāja Theater with its bright productions of last season “Shakespeare” and “Swamp Wader in the Fire”, as well as the New Riga Theater, which has proved the strength of its actors. It is also characteristic that the same directors work in both state and independent theaters and do so equally brightly and successfully. ” A striking example here is, for example, Elmārs Sņkovs and Valters Sīlis. The same can be said for actors.

The “Players’ Night” awards are expected to be presented, as usual, on the birthday of the patriarch of Latvian theater Eduards Smiļģis on November 23. However, it is possible that this year it could not take place as usual at the Daile Theater, but in Liepāja Concert Hall “Lielais dzintars”. Daiga Gaismiņa-Šiliņa, the chairwoman of the Latvian Theater Workers’ Union, told Latvijas Avīze that everything could change, but this solution could be considered for security reasons during the pandemic.

“Players’ Night” 2019/2020 season nominations *

Great form show of the year

• “Breath” (Daile Theater, director Dmitry Petrenko)

• “Shakespeare” (Liepaja Theater, director Elmars Senkovs)

• “Empty Flower (Jerma)” (Latvian National Theater, director Ināra Slucka)

• “Victory is a moment” (Valmiera Summer Theater Festival, director Valters Sīlis)

• “State of Grandmothers” (theater troupe “KVADRIFRONS”, director Paula Pļavniece)

Small form show of the year

• “Finnishization” (Latvian National Theater, director Valters Sīlis)

• “Margareta” (Latvian National Theater, director Reinis Suhanovs)

• “Hunting” (theater association “ESARTE” in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture, director Elmārs Senkovs)

• “The Boy Who Saw in the Dark” (Latvian National Theater, director Valters Sīlis)

• “Night Starts Here” (Gertrudes Street Theater, director Vladislavs Nastavševs)

Annual show for children

• “The Tube Tooth Only” (Rezekne Theater “Joriks”, director Edgars Niklasons)

• “Nils Holgerson’s Wonderful Journey” (Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theater, director Edgars Niklasons)

• “The yard comes to life” (Willa Theater, the performance was made within the framework of the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival, director Toms Treinis)

• “Plastic hooligans” (theater association “PERFORATION”, director Pamela Butāne)

• “Half People” (Latvian Puppet Theater, director Edgars Kaufelds)

Annual show for teenagers

• “People need a dog” (Valmiera Drama Theater, director Jānis Znotins)

• “Dullais” (Cēsis Small Theater, director Mārtiņš Eihe)

• “Bad Hand” (Gertrudes Street Theater in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture, director Kārlis Krūmiņš)

• “Dirty Deal Teatro”, director Krista Burāne

Director of the year

• Krista Burāne (“Dirty Deal Teatro”)

• Vladislav Nastavshev (“Here the Night Begins” (Gertrudes Street Theater), “Five Songs by Memory” (Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theater))

• Elmārs Senkovs (“Shakespeare” (Liepaja Theater), “Hunting” (theater association “ESARTE” in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture), “α SAPIENSI” (theater association “ESARTE”, the performance was made within the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival), “Iranian conference ”(webcast))

• Valters Sīlis (“A Boy Who Saw in the Dark”, “Finlandization” (Latvian National Theater), “Looks Like You Will Die” (“Dirty Deal Teatro”), “Victory is a Moment” (Valmiera Summer Theater Festival))

• Ināra Slucka (“Empty Flower (Jerma)” at the Latvian National Theater)

Actress of the Year

• Maija Doveika (Jerma in the play “Empty Flower (Jerma)”, Latvian National Theater)

• Esmeralda Ermale (Charlotte in the play “Autumn Sonata”, Rezekne Theater “Joriks”)

• Inese Kučinska (Richard III in the play “Shakespeare”, Liepaja Theater)

• Marija Linarte (Ziednese in the play “Zalkša’s Bride”, New Riga Theater)

• Ieva Segliņa (S in the show “Breath”, Daile Theater)

Actor of the Year

• Andris Keišs (Eduards Smiļģis in the play “In Search of a Player”, New Riga Theater)

• Ģirts Krūmiņš (Pēteris Pētersons in the play “In Search of a Player”, New Riga Theater)

• Kārlis Reijers (Jēkabs in the play “Boy Who Saw in the Dark”, Ņurņiks in the play “Katls”, Lawyer in the play “Margarēta”, Latvian National Theater)

• Igors Šelegovskis (Žils in the play “Night Starts Here”, Gertrudes Street Theater)

The young stage artist of the year

• Kārlis Arnolds Avots (V performance “Breath”, Daile Theater, Dmitrijs Prokofjevičs Razumihins in the performance “Step 731”, Valmiera Drama Theater)

• Matīss Budovskis (Zilovs in the play “Hunting”, theater association “ESARTE” in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture, role in the play “Yard comes to life”, “Willa Theater”, the performance was made within the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival, role in the play “Last Hours”, theater association “ESARTE”)

• Sandija Dovgāne (Eva in the play “Autumn Sonata”, Rēzekne Theater “Joriks”)

• Paulīne Kalniņa (scenography and costumes for the show “α SAPIENSI”, theater association “ESARTE”, the show was made within the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival)

• Agris Krapivņickis (Jason and Thyron in the play “The Bad Hand”, Gertrudes Street Theater in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture)

• Emīls Ralfs (Robot in the performance “New Beatles Album”, New Riga Theater)

• Elizabete Skrastiņa (Margerija in the play “Bad Hand”, Gertrudes Street Theater in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture, role in the play “Last Hours” theater association “ESARTE”)

• Rihards Zelezņevs (Klāvs in the play “Plastic Hooligans”, theater association “PERFOrācija”, role in the play “Courtyard comes to life”, “Willa Theater”, the performance was made within the Valmiera Summer Theater Festival, roles in the online show “Vol.1 ANTIŅŠ”, theater association PERFOrācija ”, Colleague in the play“ Hunting ”, theater association“ ESARTE ”in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Culture)

Annual achievement in original drama (text, play or script)

• Ivo Briedis “The Last Straw” (Latvian National Theater)

• Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce “The Boy Who Saw in the Dark” (Latvian National Theater)

• Evarts Melnalksnis, Klāvs Mellis “Pride and Prejudice” (Latvian National Theater in cooperation with “QUADRIFRON”)

• Authors’ team “Dirty Deal Teatro”

Annual event in the digital environment

• Performance cycle on the e-theater stage “White Cube” (Latvian National Theater, directors: Ināra Slucka, Valters Sīlis, Intars Rešetins)

• Online performance “24h” (theater troupe “KVADRIFRONS” and authors)

• Webcast “Iran Conference” (director Elmars Senkovs)

• Cycle of mini series “Patakoļako” (Liepāja Theater, director Mārtiņš Kalita)

• Listening performance “Song of Roland” (theater troupe “KVADRIFRONS” and authors)

• Online performance “Vol.1 Antiņš” (theater association “PERFOrācija”, directors Beatrise Zaķe, Pamela Butāne)

* We publish part of the nominations, the full list can be viewed on the website “spelmanunakts.lv”