The Latvian Puppet Theatre Returns to Its Audience

From 7 August, the Latvian Puppet Theatre will resume in-person performances after an extended break, once again bringing together young and adult lovers of theatre art at performances in the Fireplace Hall of the Riga Latvian Society House. In August, 3 new productions will be presented to audiences for the first time – in the Latvian troupe, the production “The Kiosk”, based on a work by Anete Melece and directed by Vija Blūzma, while the Russian troupe will present Grigory Oster’s “38 Parrots”, directed by Aleksandr Jonov, and Andrei Usachov’s “The Clever Little Dog Sonya”, directed by Yuri Lunik.

The theatre will begin its 78th season outside its historic building on Krišjāņa Barona Street, where extensive renovation work will begin towards the end of the summer. Both the box office and the temporary performance venue – the Fireplace Hall – will await audiences at the Riga Latvian Society House at 13 Meķeļa Street, just one block away from the previous location.  

The Latvian Puppet Theatre will operate under the yellow, or partially safe, regime. Audience members aged 12 and over must present a Covid-19 certificate confirming vaccination, recovery or a negative test result, a personalised admission ticket and an identity document. Children up to and including the age of 11 must have a personalised ticket to attend the theatre; schoolchildren must also present a document or ID card confirming their age. All audience members aged 7 and over must wear face masks indoors. More information about the rules, box-office opening hours and the August repertoire is available at www.lelluteatris.lv.

“We are very much looking forward to the moment when, even with a small audience, we can once again meet in person – for 9 months we have been working and creating productions and digital offerings, but nothing can replace the energy and spontaneity of children in the auditorium – only then does a production have a chance to truly be born. As a children’s theatre, we are not in an advantageous position, since a broad range of restrictions applies to us, but I believe that those for whom theatre is important will be happy and take the opportunity to attend performances, even if they have to experience some minor inconveniences,” hopes Vilnis Beķeris, director of the Latvian Puppet Theatre.

In addition to the new productions, the August repertoire includes such audience favourites as “The Naksitrallīs”, “The Tale of Diegabiksis”, “The Three Little Pigs and the Wolf”, “The Kid Who Could Count to Ten”, “Thumbelina”, “Aunt Dill” and others. It is advisable to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the performance in order to allow enough time for all documents to be checked.

Author:

Ministry of Culture

km.gov.lv