Liepāja Theatre Receives the Liepāja Culture Award 2024

On the evening of 28 February, the Great Amber Concert Hall became the beating heart of Liepāja’s cultural spirit with the Liepāja Theatre receiving the Liepāja Culture Award 2024 at the centre – a tribute to its boundless artistic courage and versatility, for crafting performances that linger in the soul long after the final curtain falls.

This year, it was the electrifying “Latvian Rockets” and the poignant “Father Silence” that captivated audiences, earning the theatre this prestigious honour.

This was no ordinary awards ceremony. Like the ever-restless Liepāja wind, the evening danced beyond convention, unfurling in unexpected places – on balconies, behind glass walls, even high in the air. Poets spun verses into the night, guitars hummed, choirs and opera singers wove melodies, and dancers, folklore groups, and visual artists turned the venue itself into a living, breathing work of art.

The winners were crowned with the gleaming trophies handed over by their very creator, jeweller Roberts Mežainis. Behind this evening were playwright Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce and director Edgars Niklasons, whose previous work on the Liepāja Culture Award 2023 had already earned the title of “2024’s Most Outstanding Non-Standard Brand Event” at the Latvian Events Forum.

With 28 nominations vying for recognition, the jury had the task of selecting nine winners. The evening also saw the presentation of two special awards: the Liepāja Mayor’s Sympathy Award, personally chosen by City Council Chairman Gunārs Ansiņš, and the Liepāja Popular Vote Award, decided by the public during the week-long vote.

Liepāja Culture Award 2024 results

• The Liepāja Theatre was honoured with the Liepāja Culture of the Year Award 2024, with performances that ignite the imagination and stir the soul, “Latvian Rockets” and “Father Silence”.
• Sculptor Egons Peršēvičs was recognised for his profoundly moving work, “Project 613”, a sculpture that transforms art into a vessel for healing the wounds of war. For his powerful artistic statement, he received a €1,200 cash prize.
• Actress Agnese Jēkabsone was awarded €1,000 for her outstanding performances in “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Father Silence”, where her talent illuminated the stage with depth and authenticity.
• Linguist Daiga Straupeniece was also granted €1,000 for her remarkable contribution to preserving linguistic heritage, having meticulously compiled and published the “Dictionary of the Būtiņģe and Sventāja Languages” and orchestrated its grand unveiling in both Liepāja and Sventāja.
• The Cultural Development Association “Tapala Lapa” was awarded €1,000 for bringing the “Blossom in the Water Tower” festival to life, weaving music, art, and contemporary theatre into an innovative cultural experience.
• The Liepāja Central Scientific Library and the Liepāja 2027 Foundation were awarded for their “Open the Library” campaign, a tribute to the institution’s 247th anniversary, inviting the public to reimagine and rediscover the magic of books.
• The Liepāja Museum was recognised for its curated “Liepāja Silver” exhibition, a centennial celebration that reinterpreted the city’s artistic heritage through a modern lens.
• The Liepāja Music, Art and Design High School was cheered for its dedication to nurturing young creative minds through events such as the “Music and Art Symbiosis Hackathon” and the “Valdis Vikmanis Latvian Young Performing Artists Competition”, both of which showcased the next generation of artistic talent.
• The association “ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education” was applauded for its cutting-edge international media art exhibition, “Sensory Imagination”, which pushed the boundaries of artistic expression through digital innovation.
• The Popular Vote Award went to “Šarmants” Ltd., whose interactive performance, “Symphony of Winter Flavours”, transformed gastronomy into theatre, enticing visitors to experience Liepāja’s cultural charm even in the coldest months.
• Finally, the Liepāja Mayor’s Sympathy Award was bestowed upon the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, for their artistic excellence that continues to resonate across the Baltics, elevating the city’s reputation as a hub of musical brilliance.

For the fourteenth year running, the Liepāja Culture Award paid homage to those who shape the city’s artistic identity – visionaries whose creative sparks light up the cultural fabric of Liepāja, drawing audiences into experiences that resonate far beyond the stage, the gallery, or the written page.

The jury was chaired by Nauris Lazdāns, the deputy head of the Liepāja Culture Department. He was joined by Irita Kalēja, the head of the cultural venue “Pegasus Courtyard” and a previous recipient of the Liepāja Culture Award (2023), Edgars Niklasons, the artistic director of Liepāja Puppet Theatre, Andris Vētra, an artist and stage designer, Zane Zusta, a writer and screenwriter, as well as Madara Gruntmane, a poet and event producer, and Ligita Kupčus-Apēna, a journalist.

Released by

Evija Lene
Liepāja Culture Department
Public Relations and Marketing Project Manager
+371 63 483 941
Evija.Lene@liepaja.lv