Kritkes Līga Ulberta’s view of the past theater season: the new generation and the unrelenting play
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Approaching the upcoming “Players’ Night” award ceremony, independent theater critic Līga Ulberte shared her thoughts on the highlights of the past theater season and her personal favorites in the Latvian Radio program “Kultūras Rondo”. In her view, the talents of the new generation and original, exciting show concepts that do not seem boring stand out.
Satisfaction with young talents
Līga Ulberte is particularly pleased to note the work of director Jurģ Lūš on the Latvian National Theater’s production “Dullais Dauka”. The critic emphasized that Lusis, who was once a promising student, has finally found his true creative path and has established himself as an important name among the younger generation of directors. This work has also been nominated for the “Player’s Night” award in the “Young Stage Artist of the Year” category, which once again proves the potential of the talented young creator.
Also, Ulberte highlighted the work of the artist Signija Joce in the Liepāja Puppet Theater show “Metamorphosis”. The visual beings created by Jocīte seemed to the critic to be “terrifyingly magnetic” and she could not tear her eyes away. Her contribution was recognized with a nomination for the “Young Stage Artist of the Year” award. Ulberte admits that the Liepāja puppet theater has been working interestingly for a long time and from time to time shines in the context of “Players’ Night”, proving the theater’s ability to offer original and exciting productions of children’s and youth performances.
The diverse Latvian theater scene
In the past theater season, Līga Ulberte also highlighted the role of Blanche played by actress Maija Doveikas in the Latvian National Theater’s play “Ilgu tramvajs”, pointing to bright acting and creative daring.
Kritķe regularly analyzes and evaluates the offer of Latvian theaters, including plans and events for the new season. She has participated in discussions about the repertoire of theaters, emphasizing that she is closer to those theaters that have their eyes open to modern life. This means not only to stage realistic scenes, but to feel, understand and talk about contemporary processes. Ulberte is known for her sharp and reasoned reviews, published both in “Kultūras rondo” and in other media, providing valuable insight into the developments in theater art in Latvia.
New season and upcoming events
Approaching 2024/2025 for the 2018 theater season, both a “boom” of Blaumanis’s works and an offer of new directors are predicted, which promises to be rich and intriguing. Līga Ulberte and other critics actively follow these processes, providing their professional insights and evaluations.
As it was revealed in the program “Kultūras Rondo”, the critic pays special attention to the performances nominated for the “Gamers’ Night” award, highlighting both new talents and original concepts of performances. She emphasizes that the category “Show of the year for children and/or teenagers” is particularly difficult, as it requires combining different age groups and interests, but the production of “Dullā Dauka” has successfully overcome this challenge.
