Bitef

GLAVNI PROGRAM

ABOUTJRT The New Riga Theatre is a professional repertory theatre that provides innovative art corresponding to the requirements of the independently-thinking contemporary spectator both in its content and form. The artistic principles of the NRT are simple: high professional, ethic and aesthetic quality. The theatre has an intelligent and attractive repertory of high quality focussed on a modern, educated and socially active audience. In the era of mass - production and stress the NRT wants to affirm humanism, vitality and emotions and search for the way back to harmony and simplicity! The New Riga Theatre is located in the centre of the city and also at the centre of the theatre life of Latvia. In 1997 the leadership of the theatre was taken over by the artistic director Alvis Hermanis. A new artistic ensemble was formed of 17 actors, who are the most professional actors of their generation in the country. In 2004 nine new actors joined the troupe. Although the New Riga Theatre is a state-owned repertory theatre it has also retained the spirit and manner of work of a theatre studio consistently keeping to the values of non-commercial art. The New Riga Theatre repertory is focused upon the study of theatre technology and not on the box-office incomes. The rehearsal period often lasts more than a year; productions are not made only for the large hall (470 seats) but also on other stages, also outside the theatre. The New Riga Theatre has been to Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Finland, Germany, Austria, the USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Serbia (Bitef).The New Riga Theatre production of "The Inspector General" received Young Directors'Project prize at 2003 Salzburger Festspiele (Max Reinhardt's pen). SONJA— DURA (DUMMY SONJA) T.Tolstaya has a brilliant writing technique. As to the preciseness of observations and details, she is not actually unique, because many modern talented writers delight us with this feature irrespective of their gender, but very few of them have mastered this grotesque style as skilfully as Tolstaya has done it. The reader is being lulled to sleep and taken with her with such a humane sympathy and respect towards a human being, who does not exist any more, and her life and who to remember would mean to „touch the memories with the rough hands of substance". But then the author suddenly brakes like a driver and an abrupt and passionless sentence follows: „Sonja was a dummy." And you can decide yourself whether she is or is not a stupid woman, who is able make a palisade pole bloom with the strength and truthfulness of her love, i.e. make the appearance and cynical lies materialise in a real miracle.