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Signet Bank supports the Latvian National Theater’s new production, “The Bride Hunters”

Yesterday

On September 10, the Latvian National Theater opened its 108th season with a new production of Anšlavs Eglītis’s “The Bride Hunters”, directed by Paula Pļavniece, also marking the 120th anniversary of the author’s birth. The play is a witty marriage saga set during the era of Latvia’s first independence, exploring society’s ambitions, relationships, and the search for love. The new production was created with the support of Signet Bank, continuing the long-standing partnership between the bank and the Latvian National Theater for the third consecutive year.

The era of the first independent Latvian state was a period of rapid economic growth and social change. In the apartments of Riga’s quiet city center, wealthy Latvian entrepreneurs took an increasingly prominent place, and as living standards rose, social life changed as well – lavish gatherings, balls, and, of course, wedding plans.

It is precisely this world that Anšlavs Eglītis observes in “The Bride Hunters” with his characteristic humor and gentle self-irony. Young men set out in search of brides, looking not only for beauty and virtue but also for a sufficiently substantial dowry. Behind the lighthearted and witty narrative lie much more familiar questions – how much of a role do feelings play in relationships, and how much do societal expectations, status, and the desire for a better life?

We are very grateful to Signet Bank for its trust and support of the Latvian National Theater over the course of three seasons. This time, our collaboration has made it possible to stage the season-opening production “The Bride Hunters” – a witty and lavish adaptation of Anšlavs Eglītis’s novel, in which Paula Pļavniece, together with the creative team, has brought Eglītis’s world to life through a contemporary, visually vibrant, and lively stage language. It is particularly significant to begin the season with a large-scale new production that brings together the outstanding legacy of Latvian literature and a contemporary stage interpretation,

says Māris Vītols, director of the National Theater, expressing his gratitude for the collaboration.

The power of Latvian literature lies in its ability to resonate even after many decades. With humor and gentle irony, “The Bride Hunters” reminds us that human ambitions, relationships, and choices remain unchanged in many ways. We congratulate the Latvian National Theater on a brilliant start to the season! The creative team consists of a new generation – Paula Pļavniece, Klāvs Mellis, Kristaps Kramiņš, and Berta Vilipsone – who have offered a subtle and contemporary interpretation of this classic, creating a production that will be interesting and relevant to young people as well,

says Ineta Done, Member of the Management Board of Signet Bank.

Director Paula Pļavniece talks about the production:

We agreed with the artists Kristaps Kramiņš and Berta Vilipsone that this visually vibrant, grotesque world – resembling the pop of a champagne bubble – as created by Eglītis, is what entices us even today to engage with the novel, fleeing from minimalism and a monochromatic color palette in both life and art. To some, the “hunt” for a bride might not seem like one of today’s most pressing topics, but we invite the viewer to look at this work as the coming-of-age story of young people and an entire generation, searching for their own values and their own moral compass, as they enter an environment where the previous generation and circumstances have established very specific rules of the game.

Tickets and more information about the performance are available on the Latvian National Theater’s website: https://teatris.lv/izrade/ligavu-mednieki/