It happened almost 2 decades ago. The twin towers were stull standing in New York, but Princess Diana had already died. Then, Ben has very happy and hopeful about his future.

 

Sticky, smelly, bent and crooked, dazed by the long journey, a bunch of emigrants arrive in London – the promised land. But this is another world – in boxes under the Waterloo Bridge, with no homes or friends. Life is no fiction where everything can be spruced up.

 

How to understand where the mistake was? And who knew how you had to live? Perhaps only Queen or Harry Potter!

 

For centuries, people have left their homes behind to set off on a quest for a better future. Emigration has touched almost every Latvian family – our relatives, our friends.

 

Marius Ivaskevicius (1973 - ) is the star of Lithuanian dramaturgy for whom issues of national identity are particularly important. On the other hand, Oskaras Koršunovas (1969 -) is the leading Lithuanian theatre director who in the past decade has directed all over Europe. In 1999 he founded his own, The Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre Company. Oskaras Koršunovas directed The Chosen Ones for the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in 2011 where the production even rose to the status of a “cult show”.

 

Performers: Dainis Grūbe, Juris Žagars (Ben), Lauris Dzelzītis (Vandal), Elīna Dzelme (Dana), Vita Vārpiņa (Liza, policewoman), Gints Andžāns (Eddy, a hippy), Ieva Segliņa (Olga, Russian, a squatter / Sirena), Dainis Gaidelis (a policeman / Azim, pakistani), Artūrs Dīcis (Harry / Christ), Raivis Vidzis (a heavyweight), Ērika Eglija (Oksana, the wife of the heavyweight / Sirena), Aldis Siliņš (Saulus, Lithuanian, a squatter), Artis Robežnieks (brother, Latgalian I / Oļģerts), Lilita Ozoliņa or Esmeralda Ermale (Regina), Pēteris Gaudiņš (the bearded guy / a homeless man), Valdis Liepiņš (driver nr. 1 / a homeless man), Juris Kalniņš (driver nr. II), Lauris Subatnieks (brother, Latgalian II / a bot from Victoria Park), Esmeralda Ermale, Anete Krasovska, Nora Anna Geidmane, Regīna Eglija, Laura Atelsone (girls in a bar), Vilnis Onskulis, Roberts Gaidulis, Artūrs Kļava (guys in a bar)

 

The production features performances by the RYGA group: Mārcis Judzis (vocals, percussion), Richards Lībietis (guitar), Kārlis Alviķis (bass), Matīss Repsis (piano).

 

Director – Oskaras Koršunovas (Lithuania)

Costume Designer – Agnė Jagelavičiūtė (Lithuania)

Choreographer – Vesta Grabštaitė (Lithuania)

Musical Director – Saulius Prusaitis (Lithuania)

Composers – Mārcis Judzis, Saulius Prusaitis (Lithuania)

Lighting Designer – Eugenius Sabaliauskas (Lithuania)

 

 

Spēlmaņu nakts Prize 2013/2014:

Actor of the Year – Dainis Grūbe

Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role – Gints Andžāns

 

Nominations for the  Spēlmaņu nakts Prize 2013/2014:

Large Scale Performance of the Year

Director of the Year – Oskaras Koršunovas

Actor of the Year – Juris Žagars

Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role – Lauris Dzelzītis

Costume Designer of the Year – Vesta Grabštaitė

Composer of the Year – Mārcis Judzis, Saulius Prusaitis

 

This production has been included in the first quarter of the A Kilogram of Culture, the Latvian TV and Radio Annual Award, in 2014.