For many Latvians, cemetery culture traditions are indispensable and dear, but only a few know the customs of Atkapusvētki. Perhaps it is because this festival is more common in other dimensions. But as the end of the world approaches, Spīgana’s interdimensional bar has merged in space-time with your favorite bar, so it would be almost a sin not to go and raise a final glass together with Scales, Satyr, Moth-Fairy, and other beings, and listen to what is on their hearts during open-mic performances. Poetry, metal, black humor, and fantastic company.
CAST & TEAM
Cast
Dārta Cīrule, Guntis Kursišs, Antons Grauds, Jurģis Lūsis, Sandija Dovgāne, Māra Ulme
Director
Mārcis Broks
Playwright
Jānis Golubovskis
Producers
Elza Siliņa, Emīls Alps
Costume Designer
Valters Vītols
Makeup Artist
Linda Sams
The concert-performance “Atkapusvētki” was a musically poetic and spookily cozy event that took place during the “Dziady”, not on a theater stage, but in various bars in Riga, Cēsis, Liepāja, and Valmiera. New generation poets, actors, and musicians embodied supernatural beings to speak about their quirks, longings, and loneliness through original songs, poetry, monologues, and personal stories. A free, open-mic-like atmosphere met a mysterious world of monsters, where the audience became not just onlookers, but guests of Atkapusvētki.
In a comedic manner, Atkapusvētki explored themes of mythology and the afterlife. The supernatural beings embodied by the authors were created partly based on folk tales, adding a large part of their own personal essence or imagination.
During the production, everyone present celebrated Atkapusvētki, which is a kind of continuation of the Cemetery Festival. Inspiration was drawn directly from cemetery festival traditions to gather such diverse characters, much like a large family where everyone expresses their unique traits at the annual meeting.
