Alvis Hermanis (b. 1965) is one of Latvia’s best-known theatre directors and actors. His reputation for productions that are intense, thought-provoking and emotional has spread far beyond Latvia’s borders and brought him numerous, prestigious awards. Hermanis’ magic lies in his ability to communicate simple things in a way that makes them timeless. 

He is currently the artistic director of the New Riga Theatre and has led theatre performances in a number of countries besides Latvia, including Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Estonia.  Hermanis is successfully striving to create a new language of theatre, with an innovative way of presenting performances that captivate the audience. 

Alvis Hermanis’ talent, creativity, unique vision and stage performance methods have been very well received at numerous world theatre festivals and competitions. Among the awards he has received one might mention the Young Directors Project Award (2003), the BITEF Grand Prix (2005), the Europe Prize for New Theatrical Realities (2007), the Stanislavsky Prize (2008) and numerous Latvian theatre awards.