Older people are all around us and yet as good as invisible. When they walk past us in the street, we barely register them, we filter them out, abdicate our responsibility and forget to visit them in the homes we have selected for them with the best of intentions. In Long Life, the Latvian director Alvis Hermanis focuses on the unpopular theme of growing old and the five residents of a communal apartment in Riga: “kitchen on the right, loo on the left, and in between three rooms, packed with a whole host of trinkets and trifles. Eating an apple with false teeth is no easy task. Even when it's the apple of temptation cut up into delicate pieces and handed to you by an elderly admirer. And that so he can then, accompanied by an electric piano and microphone, sing a song to his beloved which she hesitantly joins in. Two thin old voices, often more vibrato than tuneful, and a wonderful love scene with outright earthy undertones. The fact that microphones make a noise when you put them in a container truly delights the elderly pair. So, into the vase, out of the vase , over and over, as they giggle conspiratorially. Never was seduction so discreet.” (Christina Tilmann, Der Tagesspiegel)

Long Life will be performed for the 370th time during NORDWIND. The same actors who played at the premiere in 2003 will also be on stage in Dresden. During the past ten years the production has been shown in 29 countries and 52 cities.

Awards:

Grand PRIX, International theatre festival BITEF’39, 2005

Golden Laurel Wreath, Best Overall Acting, international theatre festival MESS’45, 2005

Audience Affinity Prize, International festival Baltic House, 2006

Herald Angel Prize, Included in the Edinburgh International Festival, main program, 2006

Golden Mask, Best Foreign Production presented in Russia, 2006

http://www.jrt.lv/en/about-jrt

Director: Alvis Hermanis
Stage / Costumes: Monika Pormale
Sound / Light: Gatis Builis
Stage manager: Zane Staņa
Stage technicians: Jānis Liniņš, Andris Skotelis
With: Guna Zariņa, Baiba Broka, Kaspars Znotiņš, Ģirts Krūmiņš, Vilis Daudziņš

Production: New Riga Theatre (Jaunais Rigas teatris)

Supported by: Ministry of Culture, Latvia