Latvian National Theatre to open new season with Anšlavs Eglītis' «Bride Hunters»

The Latvian National Theatre will open its 108th season on September 10 with a new production based on Anšlavs Eglītis' novel «Bride Hunters» (Līgavu mednieki). The staging is directed by Paula Pļavniece and comes in the writer's 120th anniversary year.

The production has been given the genre label of a "marriage saga." It brings together Eglītis' witty, ironic view of 1930s Riga society with a contemporary perspective on the choices young people make in life and relationships.

First staging in a Riga theatre

Although «Bride Hunters» is considered one of the most popular Latvian literary works of the interwar period, the production's creators note that this is the first time the novel has been adapted for the stage at any Riga theatre. That gives the premiere added significance — not only as the opening event of the new theatre season, but also as a notable moment in the stage history of Latvian literary heritage.

The novel's author, Anšlavs Eglītis, marks his 120th birth anniversary this year, and the new production's premiere forms part of the broader commemorations of that anniversary, highlighting his contribution to Latvian literature.