Gertrude Street Theatre Concludes 17th Season with Rich Programming and International Success

Season Premieres

The 17th season of Gertrude Street Theatre featured three premieres. Jana Jacuka's production "HA" explores the performativity of laughter as an escape mechanism. Barbara Lehtna, Linda Krūmiņa, and Līva Blūma created the contemporary chamber opera "Cantus Firmus", while Andrejs Jarovojs' movement piece "Stāv kas krīt" raises questions about communication, power, and human relationships.

International Achievements

A highlight was the return of "Malkas ceļi", premiered during the pandemic, which together with the Latvian Puppet Theatre highlighted the Baltic focus at the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières. It also visited the Manipulate Arts festival in Edinburgh. Next season, the production will travel to the LUTKE biennale in Slovenia and to Canada.

Jana Jacuka's "HA" received international awards, including at Amsterdam Fringe and Riga Art Week, and continues to tour Europe.

Support for Young Artists

The theatre continued its tradition of supporting emerging stage artists by hosting diploma works from the Art Academy of Latvia and the Latvian Academy of Culture – Agnes Malnača's "Svētki" and Eva Krūmiņa's "Virgīnija".

A new format, "Triecienrezidences" (Impact Residencies), allowed artists to develop ideas in one day and receive feedback. From many applications, three teams were selected: led by Mārcis Broks, Rēzija Terēze Dubulta, and Patrīcija M. Keiša. Artistic director Andrejs Jarovojs noted that the residencies confirmed the need to open doors to unknown artists.

Guest Performances and Regional Activity

This season was one of the most internationally active, with productions visiting Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Charleville-Mézières, Lausanne, Turin, and Vilnius. In Latvia, performances were held in Valmiera, Rēzekne, Daugavpils, Jaunolaine, and Rundāle.

For the third consecutive year, "Theatre Festival #5" took place in Daugavpils, organized with Dirty Deal Teatro, Daugavpils Theatre, and the Latvian Puppet Theatre. The festival included talks, discussions, readings, and seminars, reaffirming Daugavpils as an important meeting point.

Guest Artists and Collaboration

The theatre hosted Tartu New Theatre's production "What Will Happen When We Are No Longer Here?", the French performance "Perdre le Nord", British company Theatre West's "Hand in Hand with Angels", and Bulgarian director Desislava Boeva's "Cain".

Collaboration with Istabas teātris, Katlz.Riga, Riga Stand Up, and Comedy Latvia continued to create a diverse program. In total, the season featured over 100 events, attracting more than 10,000 visitors.