BRANDS

Henrik Ibsen
BRAND
Large hall
A drama of ideas
Translated from Norwegian by Edvīns Raups
Adaptation by Justīne Kļava

8.11.23. performance with English surtitles. For better visibility of the surtitles, we recommend choosing seats starting from the 7th row and back.

Premiere - 27th January, 2023
Duration - 3h 10min

“Grandeur is the word that best characterizes the entire spacial arrangement of the stage. Ieva Segliņa' outstanding rendition of Brand is the chief compelling element of this production."

Guna Zeltiņa, "Kroders.lv" 07.02.2023.

"Ieva Segliņa's powerful performance as Brand neither has nor needs equals on the stage – the actress takes the spectators through labyrinths of high mastery and intellectual and emotional experiences, once again reassuring us of her ability to fill the entire Main Stage of the Daile Theatre with her energy as a performer."

Ieva Rodiņa, "Delfi.lv" 08.02.2023.

"It is a superb work, which is painstakingly finessed and quite literally energizes the whole room with the pulsations of Ieva Jurjānes' large-scale scenography, Jēkabs Jančevskis' music, and the cohesive acting on the part of the cast. The centre of the show is the excellent performance by Ieva Segliņa.

Zane Radzobe, "IR" 02.02.0223.

"Brand" directed by Viesturs Kairišs with the material, scope and extent shown lays claim to being a canonical representation of its time and place. On the list of roles Ieva Segliņa has taken on, this one is an excellent peak.

Ilze Kļaviņa, "Latvijas avīze" 01.02.2023.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Life is the only bet worth placing, according to Brand, the young idealist priest created by Henrik Ibsen. In the new Dailes Theatre version of the play, Brand is no longer just a priest, but a prophet of a new age and a new way of thinking. And he is a woman. Today, fanatics not only preach the message of God, but they are also talk show hosts, radical politicians and mad ideologues. They can inspire or persuade people to follow, and when a new revelation comes – they can destroy everything just as easily. “Brand” returns on the Dailes Theatre stage in a brand new and modern translation, specially adapted for this performance, while still echoing the legendary 1975 production.

“That you lacked strength may be forgiven,— but never that you wanted will…” – states Henrik Ibsen's Brand. Not only is the life of the main character compromise-free, but such dedication is required from anyone who intends to stage the play. The Dailes Theatre production of “Brand” directed by Arnolds Liniņš is a legendary historic event and is now part of Latvia’s Cultural Canon. It merged what was possible and seemingly impossible in the theatre of its time, achieving a mind-boggling emotional charge with radically ascetic means.

Dailes Theatre actors Juris Strenga and Harijs Liepiņš were double-cast for the title role. The strongest artistic currents lent to the creation of this one production: the core of the creative team consisted of director Arnolds Liniņš and his assistant Kārlis Auškāps, the outstanding scenographer Ilmārs Blumbergs, movement director Modris Tenisons and composer Raimonds Pauls. Theatre critics agree that the production can be considered the pinnacle of Latvian – some even claim European – theatre.

The music for the performance was recorded in the studio "Lauska", mixed and mastered by Kaspars Bārbals.

The video materials of the performance feature Kate Andžāne, Ignats Rogozins, Matīss Vigups, Anna Rugina, Agris Sunītis, Jevgēnijs Džeriņš, and others.

The lyrics of "Brand's Song" written by Edvīns Raups.

CAST
Ieva Segliņa (Brand), Juris Strenga (Old Brand), Kārlis Arnolds Avots (Agnus), Katrīna Griga (Karīna), Lauris Dzelzītis (Fogt), Vita Vārpiņa (Brand's Mother), Ģirts Ķesteris (The Dean), Indra Briķe (The Doctor), Anete Krasovska (The Widdow Clerk), Klāvs Kristaps Košins (The Schoolmaster), Milēna Miškēviča (Gerd), Artis Robežnieks, Dainis Gaidelis (The Couple), Aldis Siliņš (A Peasant), Dārta Daneviča (A Gypsy), Olga Dreģe, Lidija Pupure (The Twins), Rūdolfs Gediņš (Jesus Christ)

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director - Viesturs Kairišs
Set Designer -  Ieva Jurjāne
Costume Designer -  Baiba Litiņa
Choreographer - Jana Jacuka
Composer - Jēkabs Jančevskis
Playwright - Justīne Kļava
Lighting Designer - Jevgēnijs Gansburgs (Evgeny Ganzburg)