Riga City Theater (Latvian: Rīgas 1. pilsētas teātris; German: Rigaer Stadttheater) was the first permanent theater in the city of Riga in Latvia, founded in 1782. It was the first permanent theater in Latvia and the Baltic.

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It hosted both theater as well as opera performances and concerts. It is the origin of the current Latvian national opera. It was a center of culture in the Baltic, and Richard Wagner (1837–39), Franz Liszt (1842), Clara Schumann (1844), Anton Rubinstein (1844) and Hector Berlioz (1847) where all employed there at some points in their careers. During the Soviet period (1940-1941 and 1944-1989), it was known as the "Latvian SSR State Opera and Ballet Theatre".

References

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  • Dziļleja K. Rīga - teātru pilsēta. / Rīga kā Latvijas galvaspilsēta. - Rīgas pilsētas valdes izdevums: Rīga, 1932.