THE DAILE THEATRE

The Daile Theatre is an outstanding part of Latvian culture, with a wealth of traditions that date back nearly 80 years (the 85th anniversary of the theatre will occur in 2005).

Eduards Smiļģis

The name of the Daile theatre is firmly linked to such stars in the Latvian theatrical firmament as director Eduards Smiļģis, legendary playwright and poet Rainis, major stage stars Lilita Bērziņa, Vija Artmane, Harijs Liepiņš, Eduards Pāvuls, and many others. The outstanding directors Pēteris Pētersons and Arnolds Liniņš have worked here, too.

The curtain on the stage of the Daile Theatre first opened on november 19, 1920, when the troupe performed Rainis' tragedy "Indulis and Ārija". The performance was directed by the artistic director and very soul of the ensemble, Eduards Smiļģis. In "Indulis and Ārija", Rainis (1865 - 1929) wrote: "We will be as great as our will". This became the theatre's slogan in its work, both when it had to fight for its existence, and when it was free to stage the work of globally known playwrights and Latvian authors alike.

The most important plays were directed by Smiļģis himself - an outstanding director, a wonderful actor and an erudite man who, in staging performances, called on stage design, movement and musical consultants such as Jānis Muncis, Felicita Ertnere and - themselves great theatrical artists and key personalities in Latvia's cultural life. Smiļģis felt, that the most important elements in the performing arts are clarity of thought, simplicity and passion. Every one of his memorable stagings affirmed these principles on the boards.

Pēteris Pētersons (photograph Guntars Bajars)

In 1964. The artistic leadership of the theatre was undertaken by director and playwright Pēteris Pētersons.

With a poetic composition by Latvian poet Imants Ziedonis, "Motocikls" (The Motorcycle), Pētersons launched a movement of poetry theatre in Latvia. He also encouraged Latvian audiences to learn about plays written in unusual styles - Brecht's "The Good Woman of Szechwan" and "Mr. Puntila and His Mann Matti", a dramatisation of Dostoyevski's "The Idiot", and others.

Arnolds Liniņš

In 1971, Arnolds Liniņš became chief director of the theatre, staging such important productions as Shakespeare's "Richard III", Ibsen's "Brandt", Rainis "Jāzeps un viņa brāļi" (Joseph and His Brothers), Ferdinand Bruckner's "Elizabeth, the Queen of England", Rūdolfs Blaumanis' "Īsa pamācība mīlēšanā" (A Short Course in Love), etc. He also devoted much time to training young actors and directors. At the Latvian State Conservatory, he headed up three courses for actors and two for directors.

Initially the Daile Theatre was housed in a building at Lāčplēša street 25, but in 1977 the theatre moved to a purpose-built structure at Brīvības street 75. The construction of the building was a fulfilment of one of Eduards Smiļģis' dreams. The building has a main hall with 1,000 seats, a smaller hall with 200 seats, and, since 1998, the Chamber hall with 100 seats. This makes the Daile Latvia's largest theatre. There are 44 actors in the company, although other actors are invited to appear in specific performances. Agreements are usually signed for one season . The number of premieres at the theatre (on all three stages) is between 15 and 19. The government subsidy accounts for approximately one-fourth of the money that the theatre needs each season. The rest has to be earned by the theatre itself.

Kārlis Auškāps

In the autumn of 1987 Kārlis Auškāps took over as artistic director of the Daile Theatre, and he has held the reins of the theatre for more than 12 years. He started with an ambitious staging of "Mūžības skartie" (Touched by Eternity), by the Latvian author Aleksandrs Čaks. It was a consolidated production, one which at the time was significant to Latvia's movement toward true independence. The production earned a national award. The director's ability to tell the truth to the nation in a touching way and just at the right moment was also seen in his co-operative production with the director Varis Vētra. In 1989 they used the Riga Castle as a setting for Raimonds Staprāns' historical play "Četras dienas jūnijā" (Four Days in June), about the last days in office of pre-war President Kārlis Ulmanis (The production was declared Best Production at the international festival "The Baltic Spring").

In his leadership of the theatre, Kārlis Auškāps has overseen its development in several directions. First of all, he has ensured that the Daile Theatre is accessible to as many theatre fans as possible. That is why the main stage of the theatre has been used for productions that are meant for a broad range of viewers. Most of the productions there have been comedies and entertaining musicals (Hasek's "Svejk", Blaumanis' "No saldenās pudeles" (From the Sweet Bottle), Ken Ludwig's "Lend Me a Tenor" and Francis Weber's "A Party for Idiots"), but there have also been serious plays, including Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", Martin McDonough's "The Cripple from Inishman", de Maupassant's "Le Bon Ami", and others. The small stage in turn, is meant for true theatrical gourmands whose interests are aimed at the theatre as intellectual, deep and complicated art. The most popular productions there have included Albert Ramsdel Gurney's "Sylvia", Rainis "Pūt, vējiņi!"(Blow, Wind!), Aldo Nikolai's "Butterfly, Butterfly", and others. The third - the Chamber hall - opens the door to experimental theatre (Regnārs Vaivars' and Gatis Šmits' "Lidojums pāri Savannai Mr. Spoguļa helikopterā" (A Flight Across the Savannah in Mr.Mirror's Helicopter), Gundega Repše's "Stigma", etc.

Among the theatre's achievements there have been numerous prizes at Latvia's annual theatre awards for its productions, such as Emile Zola's "Therese Raquen" (1996), Latvian playwright Lelde Stumbre's "Spalvas"(Feathers, 1995), Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows"(1996), and others. The actors and other professionals of the Daile have also received many awards for their work - actors Ausma Kantāne, Artūrs Skrastiņš, Dina Kuple, Lilita Ozoliņa, Ģirts Ķesteris and Rēzija Kalniņa, costume designer Kristīne Pasternaka, set designer Andris Freibergs, etc.

The Daile Theatre is also distinquished by the fact that it is the only major theatre in Latvia to present regular productions of modern foreign plays. The theatre has also made a point of offering opportunities to young directors such as Dž.Dž.Džilindžers, Valdis Liepiņš, Dainis Gaidelis, as well as more seasoned talents, such as Arnis Ozols, Mihails Gruzdovs and Jānis Streičs. Links have been established with Latvian directors who live in other countries - Andris Blekte, Laimonis Siliņš and Gunārs Vērenieks. The Daile has performed in many other countries, including the united states, Canada, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Estonia and Australia.

The Daile Theatre has proven its sustainability with full honour in this era. The theatre has held on to its audiences and has increased the number of new productions each season. The bases for these achievements is a synthesis between traditions and the search for new ways.

Since 2002 till 2009  the artistic manager and chief director was Mihails Gruzdovs.

Since May, 2010 the Artistic Manager of the Dailes Theatre is Mārtiņš Vilkārsis - one of the best Latvian set designers.