Tbilisi: The fourth International Theater Festival, named after Nodar Dumbadze, which was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia, was solemnly closed in the State Drama Theater named after Alexander Tsutsunava in Ozurgeti.
The event was attended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Thea Tsulukiani, representatives of the local municipality and other invited guests. At the closing ceremony of the theater festival, the winners in the following nominations were awarded:
The best scenography – Vakhtang Koridze (Professional State Theater of Puppets named after Jacob Gogebashvili of Kutaisi; Erlom Akhvlediani’s “Vano and Niko”, directed by Mariam Sikharulidze).
The best actress (female) – Tamar Mamulashvili (State Professional Theater of Young Audience named after Nodar Dumbadze; “Avi Musaifi”, directed by Dimitri Khvisiashvili);
The best actor (male) – Zviad Papuashvili (Professional State Dramatic Theater of Giorgi Eristavi in Gori; Nodar Macharashvili’s “Party in Sololaki”, directed by Nikoloz Heine-Shvelidze);
The best scenic interpretation of Georgian writing – Azerbaijan’s National Academic Dramatic Theater (Goderdzi Chokheli’s “Letter to Christmas”, directed by Nigar Gulahmadova);
The best stage interpretation of Nodar Dumbadze – “Kukaracha”, directed by Barzu Abdurazakov (Kazakhstan State Musical Dramatic Theater named after Sabit Mukanov);
The best direction – Basa Janikashvili’s “War”, directed by Gaukhar Adai (Kudus Kuzhamiyarov’s State Academic Theater of Yugurian Musical Comedy, Kazakhstan);
Grand Prix, the best performance – David Kldiashvili’s “Samanishvili’s mother (s) stepmother” (Free theater, director Giorgi Margvelashvili).
Georgian theater society awarded Sandro Akhmeteli Award to Alexander Tsutsunava State Dramatic Theater of Ozurgeti, Vasil Chigogidze.
On the last day of the theater festival, Ozurgeti State Drama Theater presented St. Elene Matskhonashvili’s play “Sky’s Door” created together with the Braga Theater Company. Also, the presentation of book-albums: “Bezhan Nakaidze”, “Amiran Kadeishvili”, “Don Quixote from Ozurgeti – Vaso Chigogidze” was held.
It should be noted that on the opening day of the theater festival, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Tea Tsulukyani, Ozurgeti Municipality Mayor Avtandil Talakvadze, Chokhatauri Municipality Mayor Davit Sharashidze and Vasil Chigogidze, artistic director of Ozurgeti Alexander Tsutsunava Professional State Drama Theater, signed the memorandum of establishment of Nodar Dumbadze International Theater Festival.
According to the document, the festival will be held once in two years in the city of Ozurgeti and will gradually become larger.
Notably, Ozurgeti State Drama Theater hosted the IV International Theater Festival named after Nodar Dumbadze on July 5-15. This year, the festival was dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of Nodar Dumbadze and the 155th anniversary of the establishment of the Ozurgeti Theater.
In these ten days, the audience in Ozurgeti State Drama Theater saw eight performances of seven foreign theaters and 18 performances of 18 Georgian theaters. The motto of the 26 performances based on the works of Nodar Dumbadze and Georgian classical writers was “Nodar Dumbadze – Georgian writing”.
It is important that the Kherson Academic Music and Drama Theater came from Ukraine to participate in the festival this year. The Theater troupes from Azerbaijan, Spain, Uzbekistan, Portugal, two theaters from Kazakhstan were also guests of the festival. The summit of the founding countries of the Eurasian Theater Association (ETA) was held.
This year, the scale of the festival was determined by two factors, namely, the infrastructure of the Ozurgeti State Drama Theater, the large-scale rehabilitation of which was carried out under the initiative and patronage of the “Kartu” Foundation, and the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia.
The purpose of the festival is to promote the popularization of modern and classical Georgian writing, to contribute to the development of the traditions of staging prose works (novel, short story, novella), to promote the immortalization of the name of the famous Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze, to revive the cultural life in Guria, and to popularize theater art.
The founders of the festival are the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia, the International Theater Festival named after Nodar Dumbadze, the town halls of Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri municipalities.
