Georgia: In the territory of the old movie studio, in the former Firsatsavi building renovated by the Ministry of Culture, a private theater called “Doll House” was established.
It was solemnly opened with the play “Director’s Wife,” which depicts the tragic story of the famous Georgian director Sandro Akhmeteli’s wife – Tamar Tsulukidze.
The festive event was attended by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Thea Tsulukiani, directors, theater scientists, and other representatives of the art field.
Another new and unprecedented theater was added to the Georgian theater, “House of Dolls,” which unites the theater of puppets and subjects and has no analogy in the post-Soviet space. In modern European theater, there are often performances, and some characters are presented in different subjects. In Georgia, this initiative lays the foundation for a new theater.
The idea and initiative of creating an independent theater – “Doll House” belongs to director Nika Sabashvili.
“Doll House” is a multifunctional cultural and educational space. In addition to puppet and subject theatre, the stage will be entrusted to the public with celebrities, actors, and individual performers. Creative evenings, concerts, and salon meetings will be held.
The goal of the project is to have a movie theater functioning in the theater and thus maximize the professional development of young filmmakers and the presentation of their works.
The goal of creating this diverse theatrical environment is to suit the interests of both adults and older generations and their aesthetic notions.
The play “Director’s Wife,” which opened a new space, tells us about the tragic life of Tamar Tsulukidze. After finishing Akaki Pagava’s theater studio, he worked at Shota Rustaveli State Theater. Grigol Robakidze’s play “Lamara,” performed by Sandro Akhmeteli, brought a unique name to the actor.
The Soviet authorities considered the play a clear expression of the national spirit, but Sandro Akhmeteli, despite the request, did not remove the play from the repertoire. L. Based on Beria’s order, in 1930, Rustaveli Theater was no longer allowed to tour abroad.
The family of Tamar Tsulukidze and Sandro Akhmeteli turned out to be victims of repression. The Soviet regime arrested Sandro Akhmeteli and his wife, Tamar Tsulukidze. In 1937, Sandro Akhmeteli was shot, and Tamar Tsulukidze was sentenced to ten years in prison. The decision of their rehabilitation was made by the military college of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union on February 11, 1956.
Notably, “Doll House” offers the audience radically different performances than existing theatrical ones. In addition to the fact that well-known classical or modern dramatical characters will be represented as dolls and objects, the artistic processing of different details will produce a completely different effect, which is the best prerequisite for implementing new creative trends.
Works whose themes are still relevant today respond to our modernity and are distinguished by a highly artistic level. The main principle of the theater creative group is loyalty to humanism and other categories. A generally complex dramatic structure requires a variety of approaches and deep professional thinking from performers.
A high level of painting and original thinking is essential to producing such performances; at the same time, such art enables actors to use different creative methods and discover and express their different skills.
For information: On the initiative of the Minister of Culture, since 2022, rehabilitation works of up to four hectares of the unique history cinema studio on David Agmashenebeli Avenue are underway, including – work on saving two pavilions built in the 1920s that were on the verge of collapse.
Arrangement of the “City of Art” in the territory continues. Famous photographer, Yuri Mechitov’s studio, has already been placed in one of the buildings of the film studio; an exhibition-sale hall for the Art Academy project “Blue Table” has been arranged; a workshop of Metojinebi Ekaterine Beridze and Iulia Sorokina and Actors Selection Agency – Eka Cast Agency, led by actor and casting manager Eka Mzhavanadze.
International Festival of Modern Art named after the Zdanevich Brothers – Fest I Nova Tbilisi Branch (Festival founded by the Rector of the Art Academy, Karaman Kutateladze, in 2007 is hosted annually by the Center of Modern Art – Residence “Art-Vila Garikula”).
After the second phase of the work is completed, the open space will allow the applicants to hold masterclasses and work meetings. The area will also have multi-purpose studios and a club-style movie theater for screenings and discussions.
