SIDHARTA

By Lisaboa Houbrechts, after Hermann Hesse

SIDHARTA

Music theater

World premiere at Ruhrtriennale on September 10, 2026

In the Great Hall of Dailes Theatre from

• 21.10.2026.

The performance is in English with Latvian surtitles. When buying tickets, for easier reading of the surtitles we recommend choosing seats starting from row 7 to the back of the hall.

"Dreams and restless thoughts flowed to me from the waters of the river. More and more, I realized that the love shown by other people would, in the end, not be able to make me completely happy, or give me the peace and silence I longed for so deeply." (Hermann Hesse, "Siddhartha".)

The Belgian artist Lisaboa Houbrechts, often called a stage magician, blurs the boundary between drama and opera. The director, now a prominent figure in Europe, interprets Hermann Hesse's novel "Siddhartha", taking us into a magical story about a young Brahmin's spiritual journey toward enlightenment in India and seeking the wisdom of self-discovery in the secular world. The performance is created in collaboration with Dailes Theatre, the award-winning Latvian Radio Choir, and conductor Kaspars Putniņš.

The production's director and concept creator Houbrechts says: "For me, this performance is an exercise in the absence of ego. It is an attempt to detach myself from my achievements and ambitions. To keep my distance and open up. Like a dervish who dances until he becomes empty, becoming a channel between the earthly and heavenly worlds. But to achieve that, one must renounce the self. In searching for his essence, Siddhartha must constantly say goodbye - say goodbye to his surroundings, family, friends, his guru, and so on, in order to find the meaning of life, consolation, and beauty."

In the novel published in 1922, Hesse tells in clear, poetic language the story of a young man's spiritual journey set between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE. It is an allegorical story of the search for the true "self", which the central character paradoxically finds only when he completely renounces his identity. The message unfolds through experience rather than teaching, affirming that true enlightenment is found within, and it is a challenge in a world filled with matter, pleasure, and desire.

Bringing together Belgian, Venezuelan, Dutch, Indian, and Latvian artists, along with American composer Caroline Shaw, this is becoming a grand, thrilling, and timeless odyssey for a person seeking reconnection with the self and spirituality. The performance is already being called the European theater event of the year, and Dailes Theatre is represented in it by actress Milēna Miškēviča, as well as the outstanding Latvian Radio Choir under the baton of Kaspars Putniņš.

After Lukaš Tvarkovski's "Oracle" (2025), "Siddhartha" is the second Dailes Theatre production to have its world premiere at the prestigious Ruhrtriennale. It is scheduled for September 10, and already in October audiences in Latvia and the Baltics will have the chance to experience this major production in three performances. Dailes Theatre is a co-producer of "Siddhartha".

Producer: Toneelhuis Theatre in Antwerp, Belgium, KVS (Belgium)

Co-producers: Ruhrtriennale (Germany), Dailes Theatre, International Theater Amsterdam ITA (Netherlands)

Executive producer: Toneelhuis Theatre in Antwerp, Belgium

Supported by the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency and the Federal Public Service Finance of Belgium through Gallop Tax Shelter

Cast: Milēna Miškēviča or Lisaboa Houbrechts (Lisaboa Houbrechts), Meskerem Mees (Meskerem Mees), Shantala Shivalingappa (Shantala Shivalingappa), Claron McFadden (Claron McFadden), Oumar Dicko (Oumar Dicko), Casper Clausen (Casper Clausen), Samuel Mariño (Samuel Mariño), Zila Khan (Zila Khan). Featuring the Latvian Radio Choir, conductor Kaspars Putniņš

Direction, concept, and text - Lisaboa Houbrechts (Lisaboa Houbrechts), composer - Caroline Shaw (Caroline Shaw), musical director - Christian Balvig (Christian Balvig), musical dramaturgy - Anna Chernomordik (Anna Chernomordik), set designer - Sammy Van den Heuvel (Sammy Van den Heuvel), costume designer - Oumar Dicko (Oumar Dicko), lighting designer - Fabiana Piccioli (Fabiana Piccioli), sound design - Jeroen Kenens (Jeroen Kenens), sound space created by - Brecht Beuselinck (Brecht Beuselinck), producer (Dailes Theatre) - Līga Svempe