Daugavpils (originally called Dinaburg) is situated 220km away from Riga, the capital of Latvia, and only several kilometres away from other countries: Lithuania, Belarus and Russia. You could say, that the theatre operates on the eastern border of the European Union. Both the history of the town and theatre, and the location, make it very special and even paradoxical.
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The eastern region of Latvia, in which the theatre is situated, is called Latgale. Many residents of this region speak in their own language - Latgalian. Over the course of centuries, the culture of Dinaburg has been shaped by many different groups of people having an influence on one another – Latvians, Latgalians, Russians, Poles, Belarussians, Lithuanians, Germans. Famous people born in Dinaburg include: the artist Mark Rothko, the composer (‘King of the Tango’) Oskars Stroks, the famous clown Coco (Nikolai Polyakov) and the actor and director Solomon Mikhoels. The town is first and foremost very multicultural and multinational; its residents mostly speak Latvian, Latgalian, Russian and Polish. 

The same applies to the Daugavpils Theatre – various schools and movements of theatre meet here, along with actors who are fluent in a variety of languages. The Daugavpils Theatre productions are mainly performed in three languages (Latvian, Latgalian and Russian), but it isn’t uncommon to also hear English, Polish, and other languages coming from the stage. The theatre building was built in 1939 and is a monument of unique architecture. The theatre troupe is made up of dramatic actors, dancers and vocalists, and the theatre actively works together with independent actors and directors from Latvia and other countries.