"Latvian Language Lessons" is a sharp and human story about Koļa, who was born and lives in Latvia and is now preparing for the state language exam, but in fact finds himself facing a much harder test: the inner urge to belong, the fear of not measuring up, and the search for his place in this country.
This story is about a person who is constantly in a state of examination, not because he is "different," but because the system demands endless proof of the right to be here. In this work, language is not a symbol of culture or pride in identity, but an institutional filter that draws the line between "allowed" and "not allowed."
The production explores not an ethnic conflict or division, but the psychological and political trauma of decolonization, the crisis of self-respect that arises in a society where a person lives under a permanent exam.
An important role in the performance is also played by an inner voice, ironic, aggressive, sometimes funny, sometimes frightening. It comments, provokes, helps, humiliates, and tempts one to return to old grievances. This voice becomes a metaphor for how, within a person, not only personal traumas live, but also echoes of the surrounding environment, propaganda, stereotypes, and unspoken social conflicts.
"Latvian Language Lessons" is not a play about language. It is a play about the exam and belonging.
NB: We do not recommend it for viewers under 16. The performance contains coarse language.
Team
Idea by and starring: Vadims Bogdanovs
Cast: Žanna Lubgāne, Milena Savkina, Vanda Gibovska, Kristīne Veinšteina, Miroslavs Blakunovs, Marina Ivanova, Eduards Beļnikovs
Director: Edvīns Klimanovs
Playwright: Andrejs Timofejevs
Lighting and sound designer: Eduards Beļnikovs
Set and costume designer: Daria Vipulis
Composer: Jevgenijs Rosickis
Video operator: Miroslavs Blakunovs
Photographer: Jegors Afoničs
Producers: Marina Ivanova, Elīna Veinšteina
Design: Joren Dobkiewicz, Anna Jureviča
Communications: Alisa Puhalska
Translation: Marina Ivanova
Assistants: Alina Hačetlova, Viktors Andruškevičs, Viktorija Samušonoka, Vitālijs Kapustins
The performance uses Alexander Chakov's poem "And Here Comes Yet Another Autumn," Arvīds Grigulis' poem "The Little Man with a Backpack," and Alexander Pushkin's poem "To the Slanderers of Russia."
