it was already back in business, and on 15 October staged Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. Just over a month later, Latvia declared its independence, with the declaration being read from the theatre's stage. The only remaining photograph from this historic event was taken in the theatre's main hall. In 1919, during a brief period of Bolshevik rule, the makeshift government named it the Workers’ Theatre (Strādnieku teātris), but it became the Latvian National Theatre soon after and on 30 November the official opening took place with a staging of Rūdolfs Blaumanis "Ugunī" ("In Fire"). The creative program was authored by Jānis Akurāters, a Latvian writer, then head of the Art department of the Ministry of Education. After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, the name of the theatre was deemed too nationalistic, so it was renamed to Riga's Dramatic Theatre (Rīgas Drāmas teātris), only to restore the previous name in 1988, 3 years before Latvia regained its independence. The current managing director of the theatre is Ojārs Rubenis and the artistic director is Edmunds Freibergs Layout The building is a combination of style; the facade has both eclectic and baroque features as well as elements of Art Nouveau, which was extremely popular in Riga at the time. The interior is very functional, but in the various ornaments, you can find elements of classicism. There are three halls in the theatre: the Great Hall (with 750 seats), the Actors Hall (with, depending on the play, 50–90 seats), and the LMT New Hall (with, depending on the play, 60–120 seats). Some seasons there is a fourth hall, "The Horror Bus", where a play by that name is held for children. Actors There are 49 actors, 23 freelance actors and 17 directors in the group. Theatre group Ainārs Ančevskis Kaspars Aniņš Uldis Anže Jānis Āmanis Romāns Bargais Marija Bērziņa Dace Bonāte Madara Bore Madara Botmane Mārtiņš Brūveris Indra Burkovska Raimonds Celms Ilva Centere Agnese Cīrule Maija Doveika Uldis Dumpis Mārtiņš Egliens Daiga Gaismiņa Gundars Grasbergs Juris Hiršs Ģirts Jakovļevs Zane Jančevska Astrīda Kairiša Daiga Kažociņa Anna Klēvere Ivars Kļavinskis Arturs Krūzkops Lāsma Kugrēna Normunds Laizāns Juris Lisners Ģirts Liuziniks Dita Lūriņa Mārcis Maņjakovs Egils Melbārdis Inga Misāne-Grasberga Ivars Puga Sanita Pušpure Kārlis Reijers LieneSebre Uldis Siliņš Jānis Skanis Evija Skulte Ināra Slucka Jurģis Spulenieks Igors Šelegovskis Voldemārs Šoriņš Jānis Vimba Līga Zeļģe Kaspars Zvīgulis Freelance actors Anta Aizupe Zane Aļļēna Lolita