Tbilisi Puppet Theatre involves disabled folk in theatre life
Tweet 
Share
People with disabilities in Georgia are being given an opportunity to learn new skills and become theatre employees in a project by the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre.
The theatre will collaborate with London's Chickenshed Theatre to create prepare a project that allows disabled individuals to take part in various forms of the theatre's life.
An announcement by organisers said the initiative would seek to integrate people with disabilities in all aspects of the theatre’s operations, including "details of usual routine" and "activities of larger scale," to enable them to become "common employees of the theatre".
The project – the first of its kind in the South Caucasus - will be implemented using knowledge and experience of Chickenshed Theatre staff to allow disabled individuals the space and means to express their creative skills.
A theatre team led by artistic director Elene Matskhonashvili will travel to London on December 27 to meet members of the Chickenshed Theatre, and attend a local performance to learn how to implement the project in Tbilisi in 2016.
The project will come to life in Georgia in the New Year once the Puppet Theatre moves to its new venue on Aghmashenebeli Ave, not far from its previous building which was in a state of disrepair. Work on the new theatre is currently underway and when complete it will meet modern standards and the needs of the disabled community.
Traditionally known for its productions aimed at children, the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre recently announced a new initiative to present shows staged on adult topics of social issues, including those faced by disabled people.
The initiative was spearheaded by the venue's recent production Before the Prince Kills Himself, which staged interviews with marginalised community groups who shared their hardships and experiences.
Tbilisi’s State Puppet Theatre will pay homage to the human and animal victims of the June 13 flood in Georgia’s capital city by staging a play in their honour.
Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre has gained international recognition at an international puppet theatre festival in Armenia.
People in Bulgaria's capital Sofia are invited to see an award-winning play by the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre within a special festival involving puppet groups from Europe and beyond.
Georgia will develop and implement a comprehensive policy to abolish the existing social barriers that hinders people with disabilities from their full and effective participation in all spheres of public life.
One of Tbilisi's most unique theatre companies will soon move into a brand-new performance space in Georgia's capital after being without a home since 2011.
Tbilisi’s State Puppet Theatre will mark World Puppetry Day on Wednesday by hosting an exhibition and a sale of theatre puppets, a music concert and a puppet show for its young visitors.
The Georgian Parliament has adopted the bill on the Rights of the Disabled People, which aims to create legislative guarantees for individuals with special needs and, accordingly, protect their rights.
Three Georgian professional puppet theatre companies will be unified to improve their management and creative work, while puppeteers in the country will have a workshop to produce the dolls, and a school to share their experience with the new generation of professionals, the Culture Ministry revealed on Sunday.