Daile Theater, Riga

Daile Theatre plays an important role on the Latvian cultural scene. Right upon its inauguration in 1920, the theatre took Riga’s cultural life by a storm. Much credit for its early success belongs to Eduards Smiļģis, an actor, art director and founder of the theatre. For over 33 years, he took charge of Daile’s repertoire, masterly combining classical and contemporary plays. At the time, in a bid to attract larger audience, Smiļģis also introduced musicals to the programme. In 1963, he was succeeded as the director by Pēteris Pētersons, who focused his attention on innovative performances and strongly exploited the idea of conflict between an actor and faceless crowd. Kārlis Auškāps, who led the theatre from 1987 until 1999, left a mark on its history as the one who encouraged the country's independence through theatrical performances.

Winner of multiple national and international awards, today's Daile has a strong reputation at home and abroad. It is particularly well known for its method of mixing traditional and innovative approaches. The Daile is one of the few theatres in Latvia that has maintained strong ties with the Latvian directors living and working in other countries.