Yesterday, with the “Jiři Kylian Evening of One-Act Ballets”, which took place to a full house in the National Opera, the programme of the tenth festival “Golden Mask in Latvia” was open in Riga . After the performance, a reception was held on behalf of the Ambassador of Russia.
Earlier the same day, an official opening ceremony of the festival, marked with the hoisting of the festival flag, took place in the Museum of Theatre named after the outstanding Latvian director Eduards Smilgis. The ceremony participants were the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Latvia Alexander Veshnyakov, the General Director of the Golden Mask Festival Maria Revyakina, Secretary of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia and the President of the Festival Georgy Taratorkin, Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council Arkady Suharenko, the Head of the “Golden Mask in Latvia” Julija Locmele, representatives of Moscow and Riga theatres, journalists and students of the Latvian Academy of Culture.
When opening the ceremony, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Alexander Veshnyakov noted, that “During the festival, performances of Russian theatres in Latvia have been attended by over 60 thousand spectators. Events such as this festival contribute to bringing people together and spanning the boundaries in the cultural and human dimensions, which regrettably remain up to now.”
During the ceremony of the jubilee festival opening, its long-term partners – Rietumu Bank and Severstal – gave a special present to the Smilgis Museum – a theatrical bench, which is now placed in a garden square in front of the museum building. After the ceremony, its guests were invited to see Shakespeare’s Hall of the museum, where they were greeted by Professor of the Latvian Academy of Culture Janis Silins and students – future actors and directors. Later the invited guests were presented an exhibition of posters of the “Golden Mask in Latvia” during the 10 year period and other expositions.
During the entire ceremony, there were lots of appraisals addressed to the Head of this theatrical festival Julija Locmele, who recently received a high state award of the Republic of Latvia for her work from the President of the country – the Cross of Recognition.
“It seems like the festival “Golden Mask in Latvia” made its first steps not long ago, but now, this year it is already celebrating its tenth anniversary. We have covered this entire path together. Rietumu Bank has always been close, being the permanent partner of the festival. During these years, the festival has become a tradition and a very pleasant habit. It has organically entered the cultural life of our countries, having become, as diplomats put it, “a two-way street”. When arriving to Riga, Russian specialists and theatre historians work with our actors, pass them their unique knowledge and inspire with their ideas and discoveries. And we, spectators, derive much pleasure from it,” said Arkady Suharenko, Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council.
The festival programme this year is varied. Among the performances to be shown in Riga, Liepaja and Ventspils, there are “Wolves and Sheep” by the “Peter Fomenko Workshop”, “The Safety Match” by the Theatre of Nations, performances by the Dmitry Krylov Laboratory (Moscow theatre “The School of Dramatic Art”) “Zero. Late Love” and “Sir Vantes. Donky Khot”. The special programme of the festival includes a lecture of the famous Russian critic Dina Goder “Visual Theatre”, a performance of the Theatre of Nations in the Old Town and the meeting of the director Dmitry Krymov with Riga students.
Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
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