NEW THEATRE INSTITUTE OF LATVIA

contemporary performing arts in Latvia and abroad

In this year’s international festival of contemporary theatre “Homo Novus” in Riga, Latvia, a separate programme “The Shake Down” curated by young curators-teenagers will take place. Anyone will be able to visit the extensive program, in which all events are free of charge, on Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10, at the new cultural center “MAZE” – Brīvības street 109 (entrance from Palīdzības street).

The programme of the festival, curated independently by 10 Latvian and Norwegian teenagers, dedicated to the theme of generational nostalgia, includes a wide range of visual, scenic, musical and interactive works of art.

On the evening of Friday, September 9, the “Shake Down” gates will be opened at 4:46 p.m. with a small performance, and from this moment several scenographic rooms and installations will be available for viewing by the audience: the room “(And) from one moon to another I jump”, created jointly by directing students of Object and devised theatre from DAMU and the children’s workshop, dedicated to the dreams and nightmares experienced in childhood. At the same time, in another part of the building, you will be able to experience the scenographic space installation “In Between” designed by scenographer Kristine Kutepova and interact with installations dedicated to the theme of dissolving memories. The installations were created in cooperation with residents of the Riga social care center “Gaiļezers”.

The exhibition of paintings by Māras Brīvere “Notes to Remember” will be on display throughout “The Shake Down” period, and the “Fridge” designed by Kote Hania Zuniga, a Chilean artist living in Berlin, will also be open, where gastronomic games will be held at certain times. Since the creators of “The Shake Down” want to appeal to and activate all the senses of the audience, in collaboration with perfumer Sigita Birzniec and soap artist Daija Lee, three generations of nostalgic aromas have been created for special soaps “Sense of Nostalgia” that will be found in the festival premises.

Snacks will also be available on site and there will be a bar with cocktail recipes created by children. Visitors who care about their hair are invited to sign up in advance for the interactive performance with hair loss and immortalization “Hair – stuck in time”. At the evening party on September 9, DJs of different generations will perform nostalgic and energetic sets – Dj Afterglow from Australia, Dj Bush Hartshorn from Great Britain, as well as domestic DJ Katii or Katrīna Vevere will be visiting the premises of “The Shake Down”.

“The Shake Down” programme also includes a retrospective video program of performances compiled by teenagers. Friday, September 9, at 5:30 p.m., the audience will be able to watch the recording of the show “Mii Mii Paaudze” created by director Elmārs Seņkovs in 2015, with an addition to the show created this year, in which the participants look back at themselves. On September 10 from 11.00 a children’s morning will take place with video recordings of the Latvian Puppet Theater “Emīls and Berlin Boys” and the Norwegian “Riks teatret” show “Mio, my Mio”. In the afternoon, a video recording of “Brand” directed by Arnold Liniņš and a screening of the film “Bridges of Time” by Kristīne Briede and Audrjus Stoņas about Baltic poetic documentary cinema will be shown. Finally, on September 10 at 20.00, the Latvian Puppet Theater will visit with a show for adults “I – Benjamin Button”, and the evening will be closed by a performance created by a group of storytellers and musicians (Elīza Dombrovska, Kirils Ċis, Anna Klišāne, Ivars Krasts, Gerds Lapoška, ​​Jurďs Lūsis and Kristiāna Bērza) “The Near The Far. House and Home”.

All events are open to the public free of charge. Visitors to performances and video screenings are requested to arrive on time, as the number of places in the premises is limited.

Learn more about the programme here!

“The Shake Down” (Nr. EEZ/2021/1/15) total eligible costs are € 249 635,00. The project benefits from a € 212 189,75 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and € 37 445,25 from national co-financing. The aim of the project is to promote the involvement of young people in solving issues of public importance and participation in the cultural life of the city. Working together for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. For more information, please visit eeagrants.org

    

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