Even without taking into account the obligatory Christmas and New year’s concerts in the big theaters, a whole section of the 2025 theater repertoire is made up of entertaining productions, such as Rebellious Riga at the National Theater, 6 Sherlock and murder on the Orient Express mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater, Same time next year and Cabaret Dinaburg 2.0 Daugavpils theater. From my personal perspective, only director Klāva Meļļa’s Rebellious Riga can be called a failure, which, loaded with senile musical numbers and various gags, dose not turn out to be either a cultural heritage demonstration (which the past novel of Rutku’s father used leads to) or a modern entertainment.
For works aimed at entertaining the public, I also want to gather performances One more at a time in the art theater and Falling up in the New Riga Theater (JRT).They are examples of real psychological dramatic theater with jokes and comic situations, which in the case of Daile are created by the characters’ drinking habits, while in JRT – the relationship between the 50-year-old author Joachim Meyerhoff and his 80-year-old mother. The show is spun from stories told in the form of sketches, which the JRT actors understand perfectly.
Screen magic
Production One more at a time marks another trend – the entry of cinema into the theater, not only using screens, but also drawing inspiration from film scripts. Film critic Dita Rietuma drew my attention to this in her KDi column. Performances directed by Gat Schmidt one more at a time based on a film by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg Still in measure (2020), which went down in cinema history not only with the story of alcoholism and loneliness, but also with the beautifully choreographed final scene of the main character played by Mads mikkelsen.Art has its own Martin – Lauris Dzelzītis. Dita Rietuma also mentions the appearance of the Hollywood star of the 1930s,Heidi Lamar,in the Daile Theater performance oracle,which also features Walt Disney’s iconic Snow White,inspired by Lamar’s character. Directed by Lukasz Tvarkovskis In the oracle also technologically, with the help of cameras and mise-en-scenes specially created for the screen, there is an obvious interweaving of cinema and theater techniques.Ridley Scott’s drama Thelma and Louise (1991), whose heroines are embodied on the screen by Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis, while at the Valmiera theater under the direction of Jura Rijnieks – Ieva Puķe and Elīna Vāne. To this list, you can also add the performance of film and theater director Matīs Kažas at the National theatre Bastards, in the creation of which he used the basic motifs from Peter Veer’s film Dead Poets Society (1989). Actor Niklāvs Kurpnieks admits that he is directing Ariel Dorfman’s play for his debut at Dailes Theater Death and the girl chosen after watching Roman Polanski’s 1994 film based on this play. A recognized debut.
The new wave
the year 2025 pleased with the appearance of new directors’ names on the posters, here special thanks must be given to both the Latvian Academy of Culture (LKA) and the National Theatre. LKA continues to show performances
Latvian Theatre in 2025: A Year of Awakening and Experimentation
The year 2025 proved to be a stimulating and vibrant one for Latvian theatre, marked by a return to classical works alongside bold new explorations of contemporary themes. performances across the country demonstrated a high level of artistic merit, often tackling challenging subjects with analytical precision rather than purely emotional appeal.
A notable trend was the resurgence of ancient drama. The Daugavpils Theatre’s production of Euripides’ Hecuba signaled a return to the classics on Latvian stages, a movement continued by Reiņa Suhanov’s Medea at the Valmiera Theatre. These productions provided significant opportunities for acclaimed actresses Júlia Láha and Māra Mennik to showcase their dramatic range.
Beyond the classics, Latvian theatre delved into explorations of ritual and the search for meaning in the modern world. Predators by Paulas Pļavniece, and Cult of the Olds (created by Iveta Pole and artist Katrina Neuburg, both from Dirty Deal Teatro) examined the roots of contemporary identity within ritualistic practices. Both productions utilized ritual to explore the experience of being alive, questioning societal norms surrounding age and youth. This thematic thread continued in Dirty Deal Teatro’s adaptation of Daina Tabūnas’ novel Witches, directed by Marta Elīna Martinsones, where the protagonist seeks to rediscover a sense of purpose after divorce through esoteric practices.
the Gertrude Street Theater stood out for its innovative and experimental work. Composer Liva Bluma’s chamber opera Cantus Firmus, directed by Barbara Lechtna, built upon the team’s previous “squatted” opera, Monstera Deliciosa. Cantus Firmus employs almost Gregorian-style chants to tell the story of three women fighting to protect a swamp from progress into a spa complex. The creators have announced plans for this to be the first part of a trilogy. Contemporary dance choreographer and performer Jana Jacukas also impressed with Ha, lauded for its courageous voice and experimental use of breath as a performance element.
2025 was a year that stimulated,awakened,and entertained Latvian audiences – and did so to a consistently high standard.
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