This year marks 120 years since it was staged for the first time, and celebrating the anniversary, the audience has been offered various productions of this play on several Latvian stages.
Actors from three amateur theaters of the Liepāja Folk Art and Culture Center have united in Liepāja.
Both the smaller and the largest celebrator from all over Latvia had come to see the legendary show “Skroderdienas Silmači”, passing on the tradition of watching from generation to generation.
Liepāja residents and guests of the city sang along the famous songs and laughed at the jokes that our grandparents laughed about, creating a beautiful togetherness. It is said that this show has a Latvian code, which encodes all our virtues and vices.
“We have been staging the show since January of this year, because the show has a lot of text and, as in the amateur theater, for amateur actors, it is not the main job and the rehearsal meeting took place after their working hours. It was interesting for me to watch people, people from different professions – doctors, teachers, couriers see their role in this show. There was a huge sense of togetherness in each of the attempts.
I definitely agree that the show “Skroderdienas Silmači” has the Latvian code, because it describes both the lullabies and the swaying, lapping, singing and also spells.
– from pagan Latvian culture, ”says Lelde Kaupuža, director of the festive show“ Skroderdienas Silmači ”in Liepāja.
Behind the scenes, we also meet Andri Lācis, an amateur character at Skroderdienas Silmači, who is a veterinarian by profession. In this show, I portray the trader Abram Wilfson. Simply put, I am an old Jew and I don’t even have to describe the characteristics of this image, every Latvian already knows what a Jew is in Rūdolfs Blaumanis’ interpretation as a comic image, ”says amateur actor Andis Lācis with a smile.
Not far from Abram Wilfson is the proud mother of Tomul. “I would describe my image as an extremely intelligent woman, like a scientist who can take everything – even childbirth if necessary. Tomuļi ‘s mother is curious and also likes to wake up, walking from house to house, ”says Inese Indriksone, a piano teacher at Aizpute Music School, who plays Tomuļi’ s mother in the show.
Dressed in beautiful wreaths and with weeds in our hands, we also meet two smiling Liepaja women from Strata and Christ Gorsu:
The show brings with it the Midsummer feeling that it is like a duty to come and watch it. There is no such favorite character from the show, because it depends on the actors each time, how everyone knows how to bring out their image ”.
We meet Inguna Sermoli, my daughter Paul, who have come to celebrate Ligo in Liepaja with the whole family from Kekava district. “We came to Liepaja because we really like this city. I attended this show for the seventh time, children for the first time. I am touched by this sense of community and the total atmosphere felt during the show. After the show, we will go to the beach to look forward to a beautiful sunset by the sea, ”says Inguna Sermole, a visitor to the show.
As every year in preparation for Midsummer and the shortest night of the year – the tailor Dūdars had arrived at Silmači homestead, a Jewish family in his footsteps – Exploding the oven, attacking the bees, losing the green mug and breaking hearts!
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