August Strindberg
MISS JULIE
Love triangle in one part

Director – Vladislavs Nastavševs
With – Inese Pudža, Anta Aizupe, Mārtiņš Meiers

The story of Miss Julie can be told in one sentence: on Midsummer's Eve the Count’s daughter becomes a servant’s mistress and the next morning she commits suicide. Having said that, a whirlwind of feelings, urges, resentment, memories of the past and dreams for the future rages throughout - before, during and after these events.

The Valmiera Drama Theatre production is very subtle and ascetic. Even though none of the characters – Miss Julie, the servant Jean, and his fiancée, the cook Christine – raise their voice, the atmosphere among them is so tense you could cut it with a knife. The director does not emphasise the differences in the social status of the characters, but focuses instead on how each of them tries to understand themselves and reach a perfect and unattainable “self”.

“[In the play] I want to be as intimate as possible and truly honest. I want to talk about loneliness. Even though we feel like we stand together side by side, in reality we all stand alone. I take an interest in what cannot be expressed in words,” says the director of the play, Vladislavs Nastavševs.

Vladislavs Nastavševs (1978) is one of the most impressive new directors in Latvia. He was born and spent his childhood in Riga, studied acting and directing in Russia, then continued his studies in London. He has produced plays in London, Sydney, Moscow and Tallinn, and has worked almost in every theatre in Latvia. In 2010, he was nominated for the Latvian National Theatre Award as the Best New Stage Artist, and in 2012, 2013 and 2014 was nominated for Director of the Year. In 2012, Miss Julie was nominated as the Best Play.

The Valmiera Drama Theatre was founded in 1923. In the 1960s, the theatre became the centre for modern directing in Latvia. Since then, the interest in elite experiments and contemporary theatrical forms has only grown. The theatre's repertoire features classics interpreted in a contemporary way and modern Latvian drama. 30 actors and directors from different generations work in the theatre.