Rustaveli National Theatre hosts premiere of film Robiko Masterclass

Tbilisi, Georgia: Giorgi Chumburidze’s documentary “Robiko Masterclass” premiered in the large hall of Rustaveli National Theater. Minister of Culture and Sports Thea Tsulukiani, Robert Sturua’s family members and colleagues, Rustaveli Theater actors, and theatre scientists attended the event.

The film, created with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Georgia, was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the world-renowned and recognized great Georgian director Robert Sturua.

The masterclass includes creating one particular play, more precisely, some fragments of that process and, in parallel, a dialogue with the production director, which is considered an interesting commentary on these fragments.

The documentary depicts a highly original staged version of Esquille’s tragedy, “The Chained Prometheus,” by Robert Sturgis, which took the director’s months of creative effort. It’s worth noting that the film documentary has spent many months capturing the most challenging creative process on video. 

Filming took 4-5 months, and a 60-hour video footage was collected, showing the staging footage of the play. It will be helpful to actors, directors and theatre scientists in the future. Part of the extensive and exciting material was included in the film, which was called “Robiko’s Master Class”, and part of the video material will be transferred to the State University of Theater and Cinema to provide students with the master classes of the most excellent director of modern time, to understand deeply and to learn the art of performance creation. Gia Alavidze – “Jose” and Joseb Chumburidze worked together on the film.

Robert Sturua is a Georgian artist with international authority and recognition who has made an invaluable contribution to the development of Georgian theatre art. He took Georgian stage art, stage culture or theatre thinking to new heights with his work.

The director has been working in Rustaveli Theater since the 1970s of the 20th century, where he created a number of performances that are still actual and popular in society. The director’s first real success was in 1965, brought to you by Miller’s “Salem trial.” 

After this, there was “Samanishvili’s Stepmother”, “Khanuma”, “Kikkube”, “Richard III”, and “Caucasian Chalk Circle”. However, Bertolt Brecht’s “Caucasian chalk circle” is one of his business cards. The play is included in the best plays of the twentieth century. Hamlet, which he performed at London’s Riverside Studios, has been named among the ten best plays created by the International Shakespeare Society over the past 50 years. Robert Sturua’s work counts more than 100 performances.

Rustaveli Theater and Robert Sturua have been named on all five continents, gaining international recognition for Georgian theatre and culture. 

The director also performs in famous theatres in various foreign countries and cities: Saarbrücken, Dusseldorf, Athens, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, London, Istanbul, Helsinki, Samara, Weimar, Rome, Kyiv, Ankara, and Jerusalem.

The great maestro still pampers the audience and offers outstanding and original handwriting in performances.