The XII Festival “Golden Mask in Latvia” Has Been Opened

This year, the festival presents two works at once, which have received the highest theatrical award in the nomination “Best Drama Performance of a Big Form” – Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theatre and Russian Novel by the Mayakovski Theatre in Moscow. Latvian spectators will also see two dance performances – winners of the National Theatrical Award of Russia: The Marusya by “Dialogue Dance” in Kostroma and Idiot Cafe by the Moscow Ballet.

Traditionally, performances of the Golden Mask are accompanied by an educational and charity programme - celebrity stakeouts, master classes and lectures by guests from Russia, as well as a big charity party with the participation of Evgeny Mironov, Chulpan Khamatova, Elizaveta Boyarskaya and other actors of the Theatre of Nations, representatives of business and cultural circles. Funds collected at the party will be remitted to the Children’s Clinical Hospital fund. The event has also been attended by the spouse of the President of Latvia Iveta Vзjone.

“I would like to extend my deep gratitude to those, who work on preparation of the festival year after year, securing its invariably high level. I would also like to emphasise the great importance of the festival for cultural and humanitarian contacts between Latvia and Russia, for strengthening mutual understanding and all-round ties between our peoples. I think that such events allow the future of such relations to be viewed with optimism and hope,” said Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council Arkady Suharenko.

On the eve of the festival, a large press conference was held, where, apart from the organisers and guests of the festival, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Latvia Evgeny Lukyuanov, the Head of the Rietumu Charity Fund Inga Љina and representatives of Riga City Council took part.

After the press conference, all of its participants went to plant young trees on the bank of the city canal in Kronvalda Park. This is also a tradition of the “Golden Mask in Latvia” – to make Riga greener. By now, thirteen trees have already been planted – five golden-leaved willows at the National Opera, four acacias at the National Theatre and four black alders in front of Bastion Hill. This year, it was hawthorn.

“Both we and our guests love this tradition. As our festival also used to be a young plant, which needed care and attention. The support that we receive from our partners, as well as the excellent rapport and love from our spectators. Certainly, the “Golden Mask in Latvia” has grown and strengthened, it has gained the reputation of the leading platform in the field of Latvian-Russian cultural exchange, and we are able to implement the most wide-scale and complex projects. Thus, with every year the festival programme is also becoming wider, more varied and interesting. On our part, as the organisers, we will do everything for the festival to keep developing and pleasing all friends of theatre in this country,” said the Head of the “Golden Mask in Latvia” Julija Locmele.

As in previous years, performances of the festival will take place on theatrical platforms of Riga, Ventspils and Liepвja.