Daile Theatre to premiere Conor McPherson's play “The Shining City”

On Saturday, the New Hall of the Daile Theatre will host the premiere of a new production of “The Shining City.” The play, written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson and first staged in 2004 at London's Royal Court Theatre, is being directed by Dmitrijs Petrenko, who previously worked on the theatre's production of “He Said, She Said.”

The story

The play follows John, who turns to psychotherapist Ian, a former priest, after losing his wife. John is haunted by his late wife's ghost and hopes that confiding in the therapist will free him from it. As the story unfolds, however, it becomes clear that the confident, advice-giving Ian is hiding troubles of his own that are no less unsettling than his patient's.

The director's perspective

Director Dmitrijs Petrenko describes the production as a kind of “haunted therapy,” giving audiences a glimpse of what usually happens behind the closed doors of a therapist's office. He notes that the play's central theme resonates widely — the moment in life, often around age 40 or 50, when a person starts to wonder whether what they've already achieved is enough, or whether something more is still needed.

The production's programme notes were prepared by psychotherapist Kristīne Balode, who observes that the human psyche rarely reveals itself all at once — instead surfacing through symptoms, dreams, shame or grief — and that simply having someone present alongside us can make what we've long avoided easier to bear.

Cast and creative team

The cast includes Andris Bulis as Ian, Lauris Dzelzītis as John, Anete Kursīte as Neasa, and Mārtiņš Upenieks as Laurence. Violin recordings for the production were performed by Daniils Bulajevs. The creative team also includes set designer -8, costume designer Baiba Litiņa, composer Edgars Raginskis, and lighting designer Antons Andrejuks.