The Time of Independent Theatre
Davit Bukhrikidze
After a certain trajectory of time, with only approximate precision, but still we have seen and felt the state of our academic theatres—fatigued by their own mythological past and inwardly conservative... when, following an era of once-famous directors, artists and innovative designers a dramatic emptiness settled in both on the stage and in the stalls.
Once upon a time we deeply loved these academic theatres (perhaps partly because theaters did not exist in any other form), and even now, the fragments of that love are what prompt us to look soberly at today’s reality.
What are the aesthetic forms reflecting reality today? What connects them to a time marked by dramatic events, to the present day and to individuals standing in opposition to the state system?.. As it turns out, almost nothing.
Paralelly, against the backdrop of crisis and the socio-political situation, many independent theatres have emerged in Georgia over the past decade. Often despite the most difficult circumstances, they continue to exist and effectively drive the creation of "living theatre." When the entire state ideology and propaganda machine is frequently geared up and ready to destroy anything beyond its control, it is hard not to see and read the dramatic context of the existence and survival of independent theatres against this backdrop.
In independent theatres—directors, actors, set designers—everyone who creates something today with minimal resources truly has the passion and drive to seek out texts by young playwrights, discover new artists, pursue unusual artistic forms and articulate what they want to say through performances inspired by the times. This year’s Georgian program at the Tbilisi International Theatre Festival is precisely an echo of the process unfolding primarily within independent theatres.
First of all, we must recall "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by David Doiasvili, the artistic director of the "New Theatre" which was suspended a year ago. David Doiashvili staged this production at the Royal District Theatre. Without any political correctness, the performance can be called a bitter "dream" (by the way, an episode featuring the imprisoned actor AndroChichinadze is incorporated via video projection).
Levan Tsuladze’s staging of "Notes from Underground" (a modern interpretation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s text at Theatre 42) can perhaps be linked to the voluntary masochistic feelings of the "little man" and the fear of total state control—which, by the way, connects to yet another interesting layer of this famous work.
A modern re-thinking of the Greek myth and the visible or invisible layers of violence against women is offered by actress Anastasia Chanturia on the stage of Theatre "Haraki." This is her debut on stage as both author and director, that likes more a modern analysis of passion and the mind.
On the other hand, driven by complete control of the mind and motivated by "noble behavior," an act of terrorism is committed by actor Paata Inauri in “The Flyer”, directed by TemurKuprava. The globally acclaimed play by German lawyer and writer Ferdinand Von Schirach was staged by the director at the Marjanishvili Theatre, giving the audience full room for interaction and evaluation of the event.
New-generation directors "tackle" Georgian classical literature as best as they can in a modern form: Saba Aslamazishvilistages Ilia Chavchavadze’s "Is This a Man?" at the TumanishviliTheatre almost as a gastronomic tragi-farce, where eating and sex—that is the kitchen and the bed—are practically merged; meanwhile Nika Chikvaidze at the Youth Theatre examines Ekaterine Gabashvili’s short story "Magdana’s Donkey" as an instrument of social oppression by a modern court against a small, defenseless human being.
The dominance of dramatic theatre in this year's program is balanced by non-verbal performances. Tinatin Tsuladze creates the club atmosphere of "Friday" (Theatre 42) using elements of dance theatre, inspired by contemporary Western dance theatre, club aesthetics, and Ettore Scola's famous film "Le Bal."
The physical theatre company HOI, founded about two years ago, is trying to establish itself in the theatrical space with fresh and bold ideas. An example of this is the performance "Maro," staged at the Tumanishvili Theatre, created by Tata Tavdishviliand Tato Geliashvili. Both of them act as directors, choreographers, and set designers. The non-verbal and partially puppet-based performance revives the story of Maro Makashvili—who died in 1921 fighting against the Russian occupation—through the language of expressionistic choreography...
Contemporary theatre can no longer be moralistic and preachorial. Faith is so shaken that the audience no longer believes in the stage demonstration of noble intentions and behavior... Today, theatre is not obligated to merely provide the audience with pleasure, but it is obligated to shake us, show us empathy, appall us and preserve our belief in the future. And this is impossible without preserving independent theatrical movement !