Art has always been in conflict with power and the artist’s freedom has always had its limitations, but the severity with which the boundary-breaker is dealt with varies depending on the times in which we live in. Caesar Kalnins, whose passion is writing songs, comes into conflict with Anita Sondore, a member of the cultural commission, who considers Caesar’s songs inappropriate and demands that they be censored. In the midst of this clash of views, the story also involves Bella, whose world cannot be contained in a black and white frame as she chooses to live on her own terms.
At a time when society is becoming increasingly polarised and instead of efficient discussions we are experiencing sharp and attacking exchanges of words, the creative team, staging Gunārs Priede’s legendary play The Thirteenth, on which Rolands Kalnins’ 1967 film Breathe Deeply was based, wants to address young people from the age of 16, unravelling the relationships between characters who each represent different views and drawing attention to the eternal question of generational conflict.
This production also features songs by Imants Kalniņš from the film Breathe Deeply (Four White Shirts).
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The production is supported by the Borisa and Ināras Teterevu Foundation for Valmiera Theatre’s 2024/2025 season. It is marked by the theatre’s return to the renovated and modernised building on Lāčplēša Street, so the theme of the productions is homecoming and the different manifestations of love.
Five of the new productions have been made possible by the theatre’s strong friendship with the Borisa and Ināras Teterevu Foundation. These are William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet (directed by Inese Mičule), Gunārs Priede’s Blue (directed by Māra Ķimele), Anna Brigadere’s play Sprīdītis (directed by Reinis Suhanovs), another play by Gunārs Priede, Thirteenth, staged under the title Four White Shirts (directed by Jānis Znotiņš) and The Magic Mountain (directed by Toms Treinis), based on Thomas Mann’s novel.
This support is a continuation of the collaboration started in the theatre’s centenary season (2023/2024). With the support of the Foundation, four classics of Latvian drama have been staged, which have been acclaimed by the public and critics: Joseph and His Brothers (directed by Inese Mičule), The Widow’s Son (directed by Viesturs Roziņš), The Boys of Valmiera (directed by Jānis Znotiņš) and The Prodigal Son (directed by Reinis Suhanovs).
Photos: Matīss Markovskis
