Gunārs Priede (Thirteenth)
FOUR WHITE SHIRTS
A psychological drama that is not about shirts, but about consciences in 3 parts
Director - Jānis Znotiņš
Scenography - Pamela Butāne
Costumes - Ilze Vītoliņa
Choreography - Agate Bankava
Music by - Rihards Zelezņevs
Lighting - Oskars Pauliņš
Dramaturgy consultant - Ance Muižniece
Cast: Ieva Estere Barkāne, Inese Pudža, Krišjānis Strods, Ilze Pukinska, Skaidrīte Putniņa, Rihards Rudāks, Baiba Valante
Art has always been in conflict with power, and there have always been limits to an artist's freedom, but unlike the times in which one happens to live, the severity with which the boundary-crosser is confronted changes. Cēzars Kalniņš, whose passion is writing songs, finds himself in conflict with the member of the cultural commission Anita Sondore, who considers Cēzars' songs indecent, and therefore demands that they be censored. Caught in the middle of the clash between these two views is Bella, whose world cannot be confined to a black-and-white frame, because she chooses to live by her own rules.
At a time when society is becoming increasingly polarized and, instead of fruitful discussion, we are experiencing sharp and aggressive exchanges of words, the creative team, staging Gunārs Priede's legendary play "Thirteenth", which also inspired Roland Kalniņš's 1967 film "Breathe Deeply", wants to speak with young people from the age of 16, exploring the relationships between the characters, each of whom represents different views, and drawing attention to the eternal question of generational conflict.
The performance also features songs by Imants Kalniņš from the film "Breathe Deeply" ("Four White Shirts")
*****
The production was created with the support of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation in Valmiera Theatre's 2026/2027 season.
With the support of the Foundation in the 2026/2027 season, the following reached audiences: Fear and Misery of the Third Empire (director Indra Roga). In the 2025/2026 season: Evil Spirit (director Inese Mičule), Medea (director Reinis Suhanovs), You Will Be Mine! (director Jānis Znotiņš), Tailor Days in Silmači (director Elmārs Seņkovs). In the 2024/2025 season: Romeo and Juliet (director Inese Mičule), Blue (director Māra Ķimele), Sprīdītis (director Reinis Suhanovs), Four White Shirts (director Jānis Znotiņš), and The Magic Mountain (director Toms Treinis).
The friendship between the theatre and the Foundation began in the 2023/2024 season, the theatre's centenary year, when four works of Latvian dramaturgy classics were staged: Valmiera Boys (director Jānis Znotiņš), The Widow's Son (director Viesturs Roziņš), as well as Jāzeps and His Brothers (director Inese Roga) and The Lost Son (director Reinis Suhanovs), which received special acclaim from audiences and critics.
