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FOTO: KRISTAPS KALNS
Born in 1984.
Latvia, Riga
Graduated from the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Latvia (2011) and from the Latvian Academy of Culture, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree (2015) and a Master's degree (2017) in Theatre Directing.
Since 2023 — Professor at the Latvian Academy of Culture, National School of Performing Arts.
Since 2025 — Head of the Dramatic Theatre Directing programme at the Latvian Academy of Culture.
2022–2023 — Artistic Director of the Latvian National Theatre.
2019–2023 — Vice-Rector for Artistic and Creative Development at the Latvian Academy of Culture;
2012–2019 — Resident Director at the Latvian National Theatre.
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He has created productions at several leading theatres and cultural institutions in Latvia, including Dirty Deal Teatro, the Latvian National Theatre, Liepāja Theatre, Valmiera Theatre, Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre, and the Latvian Academy of Culture. His international directing work includes productions at Vaba Lava Theatre in Estonia and Klaipėda Drama Theatre in Lithuania.
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He has collaborated with theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov and created productions at the Gogol Center.
He has also collaborated with numerous prominent Latvian artists, including Reinis Suhanovs, Katrīna Neiburga, Reinis Dzudzillo, Krista Vinberga-Auzniece, Adriāns Kulpe, Monika Korpa (Pormale), Andris Freibergs, Ilze Vītoliņa, Oskars Pauliņš, Niks Cipruss and Līga Zepa.
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Awards
2014— Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Director of the Year for the productions The Summer Folk (Vasarnieki) and Ezeriņš.
2014 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Best Small-Scale Production and the Grand Prix for Ezeriņš, Latvian National Theatre.
2015 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Grand Prix for the production Jean Anouilh Antigone, Latvian National Theatre.
2019 — Awarded the Golden Cross, the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture’s national theatre award, for Director of the Year for the production Mother Courage (Mama Drasa) Klaipeda Drama theatre.
2019 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Best Large-Scale Production and the Grand Prix for Rainis, Blow, Wind! (Pūt, vējiņi!), Latvian National Theatre.
2019 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Director of the Year.
2020 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Best Large-Scale Production for R. Bugavičuite- Pēce Shakespeare, and the award for Theatre Event of the Year in the Digital Environment for I. Viripajev The Iran Conference. Liepājas theatre and ESARTE.
2021 — Awarded the Eduards Smiļģis Award by the Latvian Theatre Workers’ Union (LTDS) for significant, outstanding and innovative directing over previous seasons and for contributing to the promotion of Latvian theatre in Latvia and internationally.
2023 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Director of the Year.
2023 — Awarded the Spēlmaņu nakts Award for Best Small-Scale Production for The Devils. After Dostoevsky (Nelabie. Pēc Dostojevska) at Valmiera Drama Theatre.