Edited by Lauma meLLēna-Bartkeviča Contemporary Latvian Theatre A Decade Bookazine PART OF LatVIAN CENTENARY PROGRAMME The publishing of the bookazine is supported by the Ministry of Culture and State Culture Capital Foundation. Preface ............................................................................................. 5 Lauma mellēna-Bartkeviča In collaboration with: TS THEATRE PROCESSES .................................................. 7 Theatre and Society: Socio-Political Processes and their EN Portrayal in Latvian Theatre of the 21st Century .................... 8 Zane radzobe T New Performance Spaces and Redefinition of the Relationship between Performers and Audience Members in 21st-Century Latvian Theatre: 2010–2020 ..... 24 ON valda čakare, ieva rodiņa idea and concept: Lauma Mellēna-Bartkeviča C editorial board: Valda Čakare (PhD), Lauma Mellēna-Bartkeviča (PhD), Latvian Theatre in the Digital Age .......................................... 36 Ieva Rodiņa (PhD), Guna Zeltiņa (PhD) vēsma Lēvalde reviewers: Ramunė Balevičiūtė (PhD), Anneli Saro (PhD), Newcomers in Latvian Theatre Directing: OF Edīte Tišheizere (PhD) the New Generation and Forms of Theatre-Making .......... 50 ieva rodiņa translators: Inta Ivanovska, Laine Kristberga E Proofreader: Amanda Zaeska Methods of Text Production in Latvian artist: Ieva Upmace Contemporary Theatre............................................................... 62 Photographs: credit by Latvian theatres and personal archives Līga ulberte Theatre Education in Latvia: Traditions and Challenges ..... 74 Zane kreicberga TABL Publishing house: Apgāds “Zinātne” Printing house: Jelgavas tipogrāfija Liminal Performances: In-Between Threshold States ........ 86 Laine kristberga © Latvian theatre Labour association, 2020 IN MEMORIAM ............................................................... 95 © Lauma mellēna-Bartkeviča, 2020 © authors, 2020 ...................................................................... © ieva upmace, 2020 CASE STUDY 99 Towards Invisible Choreography ........................................ 100 iSBn 978-9934-599-06-4 inta Balode Lauma meLLēna-Bartkeviča PhD, theatre and music researcher, Head of national section of Latvia, international association of theatre Critics (aiCt / IATC) Preface INSIDE OUT ..................................................................... 117 Homo Novus’ Gaze at the World ......................................... 118 krista Burāne am truly happy and proud to pres- mode caused by the Covid-19 virus NEIGHBOURS’ PERSPECTIVE ........................ 131 ent the first Latvian theatre decade proved that humankind has to be bookazine in english, which aims ready to adapt to any circumstances Difference and Repetition in Classical National to show different facets of theatre and improvise in order to survive, Drama in Latvian and Lithuanian Theatre .......................... 132 processes in Latvia between 2010 edgaras klivis i especially in the field of culture, it is and 2020. the idea of the project worth taking advantage of this inter- The Multifunctionalism of Contemporary Theatre was born in spring 2019, when our mission in order to share with our in Latvia: a Few Examples ..................................................... 142 Lithuanian colleagues presented us colleagues, neighbours, guests and meelis Oidsalu with the book Contemporary Lithu­ potential cooperation partners this anian Theatre. i believe this publica- compilation of articles by a group of tion represents the most important CREATIVE LAB .............................................................. 153 great theatre experts – critics, educa- trends, changes and issues in today’s tors and theatre-makers who have text means anything, text means nothing ........................ 154 performing arts in Latvia. Besides, it been actively researching, teaching Jānis Balodis serves as an exhaustive source of in- and creating theatre as an ongoing formation about the past decade in process. Latvian theatre, which brought into DIRECTORS’ VOICES .............................................. 169 this bookazine offers diverse per- the spotlight many new names, new spectives on the theatre process Theatre in the Age of Changing Rules ............................... 170 forms of theatre and, last but not least, in Latvia between 2010 and 2020, Compiled by Lauma mellēna-Bartkeviča new challenges for audiences due to highlighting the interaction between strong social and political contexts re- theatre and society, including chal- flected on stage. THEATRES IN LATVIA ............................................. 189 lenges of the digital age, new spaces the centenary of the Latvian state and production methods, and collec- (2018) and, subsequently, the cente- tive creation as well as touching upon naries of the country’s main theatres theatre education, newcomers in the mark a new century also in the his- field and very personal experiences tory of the performing arts, and this is and observations by theatre-makers. therefore the right moment to review the first and the largest chapter con- the past and look towards the future. sists of articles on tHEATRE PrOCeSS. although the unexpected standby in her article “theatre and society: 4 5 sociopolitical processes and their re- phy and dance and theatre in Latvia, flections in 21st-century Latvian the- unveiling the issues of invisibility and atre”, Zane radzobe analyses theatre underestimation of movement in her as an art form and medium related to article “towards invisible choreog- presentness in terms of the documen- raphy”, and theatre- and filmmaker tary approach, social responsibility, krista Burāne shares her artistic devel- and the marginalisation and inclusion opment experience within the frame- work of the acknowledged Homo of such issues as national identity, pol- S itics and history. valda čakare deals novus contemporary theatre festival with the transformation of space and in the chapter inSiDe Out. E interaction in contemporary theatre in i believe in the necessity of strength- her article “new performance spaces ening the exchange of information SS and redefinition of the relationship and opinion with our closest neigh- between performers and audience bours in the Baltic region, and there- E members in 21st-century Latvian the- fore i appreciate the contributions atre: 2010–2020” co-written with ieva in the neiGHBOurS’ PerSPeCtive C rodiņa, who also explores the change chapter offered by edgaras klivis from of generations and presents a list of Lithuania and meelis Oidsalu from new names on and behind the stage estonia. in the chapter, CREATIVE in “newcomers in Latvian theatre LaB, Jānis Balodis’ self-reflective ar- RO directing: the new generation and tistic essay takes the reader into the forms of theatre-making”. Līga ulberte workshop of today’s playwright and P writes about recent achievements in his artistic efforts. the last chapter, Latvian original drama and points out DireCtOrS’ vOiCeS, gives the floor the twists and turns around the notion to a selection of stage directors rep- RE of text in contemporary theatre in her resenting different generations and essay “text production methods in contributing to the development of contemporary Latvian theatre”. Zane contemporary Latvian theatre to an- AT kreicberga opens a new page in the swer a few questions about theatre written history of theatre education in the age of changing rules. the last E in Latvia after the restoration of in- pages offer a detailed overview of dependence in 1991, discussing the artistic profiles and basic information problematics of higher education in about theatres and theatre festivals in TH the performing arts in the article “the- Latvia, encouraging producers from atre education in Latvia: traditions and other countries to initiate new and challenges”. Laine kristberga tells a creative partnerships. the bookazine short story of liminality in the perfor- also contains selected photographs of mance genre at the end of the second the productions mentioned in the ar- decade of the 21st century based on ticles to indulge the visual perception her freshly defended PhD research. and familiarise readers with the wide inta Balode in CaSe StuDY chapter range of styles and aesthetics applied examines the complexity of dialogue in contemporary Latvian theatre. between contemporary choreogra- Explore, discover and enjoy! 6 7 Zane raDZOBe PhD, theatre critic, assistant professor in Department of Communication Studies at Faculty of Social Sciences, university of Latvia Theatre and Society: Socio-Political Processes and their Portrayal in Latvian Theatre of the 21st Century atvia does not have a strong unrestricted right to assemble, more tradition of political theatre. in- relaxed rules of censorship, etc.), dividual attempts to interpret served a didactic function and con- the principles of epic theatre or, tributed to the formation of national Lmore recently, to refer to the topicali- identity and civic values in Latvian so- ties of contemporary German political ciety. in the 1980s, the third national theatre should be viewed in the con- awakening movement worked toward text of the dominant tradition of psy- regaining national independence chological realism and appear to be from the Soviet union, and theatre aesthetic rather than socio-political was actively involved with the subject in nature. two functions of theatre of national identity. Latvian theatre of remain dominant in Latvia: theatre as the first decades of the 21st century