Liepāja Theatre Stages Play About Man Who Doesn't Know Who He Is — Director Promises It's Not Autobiographical

While Riga theatres are still trying to figure out whether audiences understand what they're seeing on stage, Liepāja Theatre has staged a play about a person who doesn't know who he is. Director Dmitrijs Petrenko has emphasized that this is not autobiographical, although actor Edgars Ozoliņš admits — the question of identity is relevant to him.

The main character of the play 'The Ugly One,' Lēte, is a talented inventor whose boss won't let him go to a conference. 'Just like our Liepāja museum — history that's genuinely interesting, but sometimes nobody notices it,' comments local theatre-goer Maija. 'Good thing that at least here you can see how a person searches for themselves.'

Actress Madara Kalniņa explains that she has to play several roles, 'but not in the classical format.' 'We are the same, but different,' she philosophically explains, making those around her wonder whether she too doesn't know who she is. The director adds that much of the performance happens in the audience's imagination, which means — if you don't understand anything, then everything is going according to plan.

'Maienburg knows how to set up a kind of stepping stone for the audience,' says Petrenko, apparently referring to the fact that after the show everyone feels a bit confused. Actor Ozoliņš warns though: 'The struggle with yourself happens every day.' Especially when you have to decide in the morning which of your selves is going to work today.