Tbilisi transforms into town of theatre

The capital of Georgia will become a place of dreams for local and international theatregoers this autumn as the city hosts the International Festival of Theatre, one of the largest-scale cultural events in the country.

The festival, assessed as a bridge between European and Asian theatre, will bring a number of Georgian and international companies together to stage original performances all across Tbilisi.

The 18-day event opened on September 20 with the performance Song of Wanderers. Accompanied by a live performance by the Georgian ensemble Rustavi, Song of Wanderers described an impressive journey of prayers. 

In the Asian performance, the group used 3.5 tonnes of golden-coloured rice grains in the background of the Georgian folk songs. 

The basis of the performance was a rich practice of religious liturgy, as well as the famous novel Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.

Theatre professionals said the oldest religious rituals were turned into an "amazing show”. A stream of sparkling rice grains poured down on the head of the prayer, who stood in the corner of the stage for 90 minutes.

The golden rice would then form the shape of a river, hills or desert. The stream created the impression of summer rain and a waterfall. With this background, the dancers, dressed in torn clothes, led viewers into the prayers’ journey.

Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre was founded by Tbilisi Municipality in 2009. It has been a member of the European Festivals Association since 2011.

The Festival runs every year from September to October and is one of the major events in the international life of Georgia.

Theatre lovers across the globe can check the rich program of Tbilisi Theatre Festival 2014 at the Festival’s official website here.