So Busy and Exhausted

I have been so busy the last few days, and have not had any time to write any updates.

I will be sleeping very soon, as we have moved the first day of rehearsals up a week.  So tomorrow morning will be the first day of rehearsals.  I am very excited to meet all the actors and jump into the rehearsals. Over the last two days I have given two workshops one about arts marketing, and one about individual artists marketing.  Both were well attended, and the artists, and administrators were very interested in the conversation.

Today I was on the TV and in the local newspaper.

I will post more on sunday when I have down time, but for now here are some pictures that I have shot during the last few days...

More soon.

-C

Rustaveli Theatre

Inside Rustaveli Theatre

Freedom Square

Gabriadze's Theater

რუსთაველის თეატრი

Tonight I saw a performance at the Rustaveli Theatre.  It was rather stunning.  I do not know how to say the title in english, but in Georgian it is ბიდერმანი და ცეცხლისწამკიდებელნი.  It was a story about a man that lets someone stay at his house, who is a suspected criminal.  Supposedly this man is an arsonist, but the host does not believe this.  Over the course of the play the host gets more and more agitated and is eventually worked up to the point that he sets his own house on fire so that his guest will not do it.

The staging was very detailed and the performers incredibly specific.  There was an overall performance quality of pantomime and clowning.  I should say that the theater is HUGE.  If you think of on old opera house with multiple horseshoe balconies this is the style of  the Rustaveli's main stage.  So the expressive and larger than life portrayal fit in this space well.

Here is a publicity photo and a couple production stills I pulled offline.  I did not see photo credits.  My apologies to the photographers...

The curtain call was really intense.  It went on for a long time, with multiple individual bows, and a large dancing full company bow.  The audience loved the show.  They were all on their feet clapping in unison, and kept clapping for I would say (and I am not exaggerating) four to five minutes.

The theaters here in Georgia work on a repertory fashion.  Something that I don't think we have had for a while in the states.  When I say rep I mean when a show has it's premiere it is two or three days, then there are other shows immediately after it, and maybe it will be shown again in a week or two.  If a show keeps selling then they keep bringing it back.  The Rustaveli is constantly creating new pieces and if they are really successful then they run for a long time.  If not they get phased out.

This is not just the Rustaveli.  The show I saw last night at the Royal District Theater has been running for two years.  It is a smaller show and at one of the mid sized theaters.  It shows a couple times a month.

Tomorrow I am going to see Robert Sturua's production of 12 Angry Men.  Very interested to see what he does with a much more naturalistic script...

On another note I am getting a tiny bit better with my Georgian.  It is a difficult language, but being in the country really helps to get a grasp of it.  I may start taking classes in the next day or two.

More tomorrow.

-C

I'm In Georgia (მე ვარ საქართველოში)

This is the blog that I have created to document my adventures in the Republic of Georgia.

For those who choose to follow this enjoy.  Hopefully there will be more pictures that writing.  And hopefully you will find some of the content stimulating and engaging.

I will start by giving you a little insight into why I am in Georgia to begin with...

Almost a year ago I was working for the Department of State and The Kennedy Center on an International Cultural Exchange Program.  I worked with 8 designers from all over the world on a two week visit to the States, we visited Kansas City, Vegas, and DC.  We met many other designers, did workshops, and saw shows.  In between all that we talked about theater in our respective countries.  We talked of the challenges, and the opportunities.  We talked about past productions and future possibilities.  Of the participants that year I really connected with Nino Maglakelidze from Georgia.  We have similar aesthetic tastes, and during one of the conversations about pieces that I would like to direct I told her about this new play by a friend and colleague of mine Augie Praley.  She thought it was a great idea for a story.  The visit went on.  

Over the following weeks, Nino and I stayed in touch and kept returning to the idea of working on a project together.  I talked with her more about euphoria and we discussed the possibilities of how to produce it.  Over the next few months we put a proposal together and submitted it to the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, and the Rustaveli Theatre.    

They both approved the project.  Our production of euphoria: something better is coming by Lee August Praley is being supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs office at the Department of State, The Rustaveli Theatre, and the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.

Now that we had the green light on the project we did a developmental workshop in Washington DC that was sponsored by the Kennedy Center, and the Washington Shakespeare Company.  This two day workshop, and one day showing gave us a great deal of information to develop the script further, and get us to a final working draft.  

Then we sent this draft to Georgia where it was translated by David Gabunia.  (He is a great playwright in his own right.  I just saw his play Others Children at the Royal District Theater.  It was rather dynamic, really well directed, well acted, and the design by Nino was spectacular.)

We now have a Georgian text:    ეიფორია: რაღაც უკეთესი მოხდება

So now I am on the ground in Georgia...  In an apartment.  Having meetings.  Eating great food.  Trying to get a handle on the language.  Casting.  Preparing for the five workshops I will be leading.  In intensive pre-production for the show.  Taking lots of pictures.  Seeing tons of theater.  And breathing.  

This is the sight I woke up to this morning...

Although I have not been taking a ton of pictures I will be taking a lot more and sharing how I see this beautiful country.

Tonight I am off to the Rustaveli where I will be seeing a show directed by Robert Sturua their Artistic Director.  More later tonight about the show, and about how their theaters are run.

-Colin.