Estonian and Latvian drama mini-festival opens with a performance about Kaunas Mafia Gangster / Article

The “Dirty Deal Teatro” drama mini-festival is organized to acquaint Latvian audiences with performances by Latvian directors made in Estonia, as well as plays by Estonian playwrights performed by Latvian directors. The festival was opened by the premiere of director Valters Sīlis’ production “I Had a Cousin”. In the center of the play, the true story of the playwright Rasa Bugavičute-Poe about her relationship with her cousin, who was a Kaunas mafia gangster. They grew up together, but the cousin was shot at the age of 27.

“Rasa wrote a very detailed story. And it seems to me that this is also the story of our generation,” says director Valters Sīlis about the work.

The events of the story reflect the growth of the still-emerging playwright and her cousin in the background of the events of the beginning of the 21st century. The director calls the work a lecture-show with dramatic scenes and emphasizes that the work is about people we love: “It’s a relationship that many of us can envy. We don’t always find such different, but still like-minded people among relatives.” “

The show is technically complex. With the help of a video image, the actors create a scenography of the events, which in turn makes the viewers feel like in a cinema screening. The seemingly remote dialogue between the actors became possible thanks to many hours of filming choreography attempts.

“They play together, but they no longer have the opportunity to look into their eyes. They no longer have the opportunity to be together. That’s why it’s like a dream, like a movie. Movies are like dreams. Theater is a little more real,” explains Valters Sīlis.

The main characters in the production are actors from Estonia, and the performance is in Estonian, with subtitles in Latvian.

It will not be possible to see this show in the near future for Latvian viewers. But on April 29, Elmars Senkov’s production “Two Garages” will be shown on the program of the mini-festival, while on April 30, readings of the latest Estonian plays will be performed by the new directors Sabīne Ozoliņa and Henrijs Arājs.

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