Tbilisi celebrates as its iconic Opera House reopens

For the first time after a six-year renovation closure, Tbilisi’s iconic Opera and Ballet State Theatre will open its doors in exactly one week.

The Opera House will reopen with a celebratory program of special productions on January 30. Prior to this much-anticipated date, a number of celebratory events will take place in the Georgian capital, starting on January 25.

The renovated Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tbilisi. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

• On Monday, January 25 guests were invited to the iconic venue to attend the presentation of a new book devoted to the 100-year history of the Opera House.
• On Tuesday an exhibition dedicated to the 120-year history of the Opera and Ballet Theatre will be presented.
• On Wednesday a documentary about the recreation of an iconic stage curtain by late Georgian painter Sergo Kobuladze will be screened. The curtain - destroyed in the building's massive fire in the 1970's - was recreated in Germany and hung above the main stage in December.
• On Thursday a special photo exhibition featuring the Opera building before and after the major restoration will be presented, featuring photos by Agenda.ge photographer Nino Alavidze.

Agenda.ge’s readers can exclusively see some of the pictures here.

• On Friday the iconic opera Abesalom and Eteri - the customary show for opening the venue's annual seasons - will conclude the celebration on in an updated redaction by director Gizo Zhordania. The performance will be reperformed on January 31, February 2 and February 21.

The Theatre's ballet company will follow with its premiere of Gorda, a restored production of legendary late dancer and choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani's 1949 classic on February 12.

The venue maintained its customary look, however virtually no area of the Theatre was left untouched by the six-year renovation effort.

A strengthened building's base, new copper sheet roof, refreshed interior paintings, wider orchestra pit and new exhibition and patio spaces were just one part of the major technical update.

Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

Performers, Theatre personnel and the audience were all in the renovators' minds as new orchestra rehearsal studio, updated make-up rooms, furniture, equipment and musical instruments became part of the renovation.

While bringing the Theatre up to modern standards the project for its renovation also found a place to adequately honour the venue's historic legacy.

As well as works on the Theatre's interior, the outer yard space was also widened to accompany the refreshed venue.

The renovation project launched in 2010 with support of the Cartu Fund and was carried out by architect Leri Medzmariashvili. Up to $40 million USD (almost 99 million GEL) was spent on the Theatre renovation during the past six years.