Four White Shirts

Art has always been in conflict with power, and artistic freedom has always had its limits. What changes, depending on the time one happens to live in, is the severity with which those who cross the boundaries are treated. Cēzars Kalniņš, whose passion is writing songs, comes into conflict with Anita Sondore, a member of the culture commission who considers Cēzars’s songs indecent and therefore demands that they be censored. Bella is also caught up in the clash between their views; her world cannot be confined to a black-and-white frame, because she chooses to live by her own rules.

At a time when society is becoming increasingly polarised and, instead of fruitful discussion, we are experiencing sharp and hostile exchanges, the creative team wants to speak with young people aged 16 and over. In staging Gunārs Priede’s legendary play *Thirteenth*, which also inspired Rolands Kalniņš’s 1967 film *Breathe Deeply* (*Four White Shirts*), they explore the relationships between characters who each represent different views and turn their attention to the perennial question of generational conflict. The production also features songs by Imants Kalniņš from the film *Breathe Deeply* (*Four White Shirts*).

The production was created with support from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation during Valmiera Theatre’s 2024/2025 season.

With the Foundation’s support, the following productions reached audiences in the 2026/2027 season: *Fear and Misery of the Third Reich* (director Indra Roga); in the 2025/2026 season: *The Evil Spirit* (director Inese Mičule), *Medea* (director Reinis Suhanovs), *You Will Be Mine!* (director Jānis Znotiņš), and *Skroderdienas Silmačos* (director Elmārs Seņkovs); in the 2024/2025 season: *Romeo and Juliet* (director Inese Mičule), *Blue* (director Māra Ķimele), *Sprīdītis* (director Reinis Suhanovs), *Four White Shirts* (director Jānis Znotiņš), and *The Magic Mountain* (director Toms Treinis).

The theatre and the Foundation began their friendship in the 2023/2024 season, the theatre’s centenary, when four classics of Latvian drama were staged: *Valmiera Boys* (director Jānis Znotiņš), *The Widow’s Son* (director Viesturs Roziņš), as well as *Joseph and His Brothers* (director Inese Mičule) and *The Prodigal Son* (director Reinis Suhanovs), which received special acclaim from audiences and critics.

Photo: Matīss Markovskis