THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN

by Thomas Mann

THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN

Director - Toms Treinis

Dramaturge - Justīne Kļava

Set Designer - Kristaps Kramiņš

Lighting Designer - Niks Cipruss

Costume Designer - Marta Treine

Composer - Jēkabs Jančevskis

Cast - Aksels Aizkalns, Artis Jančevskis, Eduards Johansons, Tālivaldis Lasmanis, Mārtiņš Liepa, Māra Mennika, Inese Ramute, Ģirts Rāviņš, Klinta Reinholde, Krišjānis Salmiņš, Diāna Krista Stafecka.

Healing mountain air, breathtaking views, hearty meals and lounging on a deck chair? All of this is offered in the very heart of the Swiss Alps by the international sanatorium "Berghof"! If only you can protect yourself from the lung infection that has gripped Europe on the eve of war.

The aspiring engineer Hans Castorp, unaware of any danger, arrives at the Swiss resort to recover after his final university exams and visit his sick cousin. However, while lying on the balcony and enjoying the fairy-tale views of the Swiss Alps, he still does not know that he will fall in love with a patient from Dagestan and be drawn into a clash between two civilizations that will not only destroy the Europe he knows, but also reveal that more dangerous than any infectious disease is the spiritual weakness of the individual.

The dramatic basis of the production is the novel of the same name by the German classic Thomas Mann, Nobel Prize laureate in literature, which is considered one of the most significant literary works in Europe of the 20th century.

*****

The production was created with support from the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation in Valmiera Theatre's 2024/2025 season. It is marked by the theatre's return to the renovated and modernized theatre building on Lāčplēša Street, so the production's theme is returning home and the various forms of love.

Of the new productions, five works have been made possible thanks to the theatre's strong friendship with the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation. These are William Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" (director Inese Mičule), Gunārs Priede's "Blue" (director Māra Ķimele), Anna Brigadere's fairy-tale play "Sprīdītis" (director Reinis Suhanovs), another play by Gunārs Priede, "The Thirteenth" (director Jānis Znotiņš), and Thomas Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" (director Toms Treinis).

This support continues the cooperation that began in the theatre's centenary season (2023/2024). During that season, with the foundation's support, four works of classical Latvian drama were staged to public and critical acclaim: "Joseph and His Brothers" (director Inese Mičule), "The Widow's Son" (director Viesturs Roziņš), "Valmiera Boys" (director Jānis Znotiņš), and "The Prodigal Son" (director Reinis Suhanovs).