Latvian Lessons: A Test of Belonging
New East
Latvia
A participatory theatre project exploring how language shapes belonging, identity and democratic dialogue. The project is built around the performance “Latvian Lessons”, a mono-performance portraying a person who constantly feels tested on their right to belong. Through theatre and moderated discussions with the audience, the project opens a space to reflect on social pressure, linguistic expectations and polarisation in multilingual societies. By combining artistic storytelling and dialogue, the project encourages empathy and constructive conversation across different perspectives.
A theatre-based dialogue project exploring how language shapes belonging, identity and social trust in contemporary societies. The project is built around the mono-performance “Latvian Lessons”, which portrays a person navigating linguistic pressure, social expectations and the constant feeling of being tested on their right to belong. The performance focuses on the psychological tension between the desire to integrate and the fear of losing oneself.
Designed as a minimalistic and mobile production, the performance can be presented in different cultural spaces, allowing the project to reach audiences beyond traditional theatre venues.
Each performance will be followed by a moderated discussion where audiences are invited to reflect on the themes of the play and share their own experiences. These conversations create a cultural space for discussing language, identity and social polarisation. By combining theatre with dialogue, the project uses artistic storytelling as a catalyst for empathy, reflection and democratic conversation within local communities.