National Theatre's «Principiāla nostāja» continues trilogy about crime in Latvia
The Latvian National Theatre in Riga has recently staged the premiere of «Principiāla nostāja». It is the second part of a planned trilogy about crimes and their investigation in Latvia.
The Latvian National Theatre in Riga recently held the premiere of «Principiāla nostāja» (roughly, «A Matter of Principle»). It is the second joint work by director Roberts Dauburs, playwright Jānis Joņevs and set designer Kristians Brekte in a planned trilogy about crimes and their investigation in Latvia. The trilogy is still being realised, so this production is one stage of it.
One protagonist, three productions
The plan calls for three separate productions built around a single main character. The stories are based on real events. Through the memories of an investigator, the productions also look at Latvian history.
A radio conversation
The making of the production is discussed in «Šņorbēniņi», a programme on Latvian Radio 3 «Klasika». In it, the production's playwright Jānis Joņevs and set designer Kristians Brekte meet to explain how the idea of creating three different productions about one main character came about. The conversation also covers what stories rooted in true events can teach about Latvian history.
In this way the trilogy combines theatre with real criminal investigation material and offers a view of the country's past through individual cases and the recollections of those who investigated them.
