THE BOY WHO SAW IN THE DARK
Valters Sīlis
Description
The play by Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce talks about a boy named Jēkabs who was born to blind parents and therefore he has to be responsible and understanding, to justify the hopes his parents have in him. Jēkabs knows that he is special since he is the only one who can see in the world of the blind. He is the only one who can see in the dark!
It is a story about a boy who is growing up, slowly separating from the influence of his mother, by meeting the first friendship, the first, love, the first lie, the first victim. At the same time, it is also a story about the blind mother who still leads a full-fledged life, works, educates her son and suffers when the boy wants to cut his umbilical cord. The performance is using an elaborate sound design through which the audience is brought to the world where the main sensory organ is hearing, proving that the sounds perceived by the hearing are more intense than when we can both see and hear. The play was recognized as the best play in Latvian Theatre Award Spēlmaņu nakts 2020.
Credits
Director: Valters Sīlis
Scenography, Costume Design: Ieva Kauliņa
Lighting Design: Lienīte Slišāne
Sound Design: Gatis Krievāns
Video: Toms Zeļģis
Performers: Agnese Budovska or Madara Reijere, Ainārs Ančevskis, Daiga Gaismiņa, Kārlis Reijers, Romāns Bargais
Location
The link to the online screening will appear on its scheduled day in the Professionals section - under the 'Online Access' tab!
Artist / Company biography
Valters Sīlis is one of the most active directors of the young generation and the director at the National Theatre since 2010. Discovering socially controversial topics now and in the past is not only the passion of Valters Sīlis, it is also the creative niche where he feels best. The director does not give answers, his plays provoke thinking and serve as signs on the road that leads the public towards looking at the world not only through one’s own ego, one’s own individual perspective, but from the perspective of a broader social group. He has kept this interest in the critical moments in historical perspective but also turning attention to current social and ecological issues. Valters Sīlis has several times been nominated for the Latvian Theatre Award Spēlmaņu nakts and received the award as the best director and the Grand Prix for the performance The Boy Who Saw in the Dark in 2020. He has staged productions also in Lithuania, Italy and Finland.
