The Latvian Theatre Workers' Union (LTDS) has released a statement about the latest developments in the theatre sector in Latvia, issuing a "call on the international cultural community to support Latvian theatre, which is currently facing pressure from political and state institutions — a challenge that many theatre practitioners around the world have encountered in recent years."
Here is the statement in full:
Statement on Artistic Freedom
The Latvian Theatre Workers’ Union (LTDS) calls on law enforcement authorities to carefully consider their public statements regarding artistic processes in the country, so as not to create doubts about the protection of freedom of expression and the application of Article 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia.
On 3 March 2026, during a meeting of the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee of the Saeima, the head of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau stated that the bureau would assess the planned production “The President” at the Dailes Theatre. In our view, such action constitutes interference in the creative and expressive freedom of the theatre and the artists working there. According to the production’s annotation and public statements by its creators, the performance addresses political events in Latvia that took place fifteen years ago.
Each year, LTDS organizes the “Spēlmaņu nakts” awards ceremony, and in our view this is an appropriate professional framework within which theatre productions and their artistic quality should be evaluated.
In a democratic state, it is unacceptable to exert pressure on artists in order to make them remain silent about historical events that may be inconvenient for certain politicians. Likewise, requests by individual political parties to evaluate a theatre production in the context of pre-election campaigning must be considered unacceptable and, in essence, encourage artists to engage in self-censorship. The Constitution clearly prohibits censorship. We call on Latvian public officials to clearly state their opposition to any attempts to influence theatre productions and to refrain from ill-considered statements that do not meet the standards expected of officials in a democratic state.
We also note that public statements about evaluating the content of a theatrical production may not only restrict the creative freedom of artists, but may also raise questions about the appropriate use of public financial resources.
At the same time, we would like clarification regarding the principles and criteria that will be applied when evaluating publicly presented works of art during the summer and autumn of 2026. Does KNAB intend to assess such works systematically and comprehensively in accordance with the Pre-Election Campaign Law? Will such evaluations be conducted on the basis of submissions from individual political parties, or on a selective basis?
One of the tasks of the performing arts is not only artistic creation but also the strengthening of democracy and civic participation. A lack of understanding among state officials of the role of art in a democratic and free society may endanger this process, while careless statements may create the conditions for new forms of censorship.
We remain open to a professional and constructive dialogue on how to strengthen public understanding of artistic freedom and democratic values.
https://ltds.lv/lv/jaunumi/raksts/pazinojums-par-maksliniecisko-brivibu-3775/
Responding to the events, Executive Director of the European Theatre Convention (ETC), Heidi Wiley, said:
"It is concerning to read the statement by the Latvian Theatre Workers Union (LTDS) about the developing situation at ETC Member Dailes Theatre and the potential evaluation of their planned performance of 'Decree No.2' by the The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), requested by a member of the Latvian parliament. We call upon the Latvian government to safeguard freedom of artistic expression, the autonomy of cultural institutions and their artistic programme as an essential component of free, democratic societies across Europe."
