Nine months on: Puppet Theatre remembers Tbilisi flood

Nine months on from the disastrous flood that devastated Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, the State Puppet Theatre paid respect to the victims of the tragedy by performing a new play in their honour.

Yesterday – nine months to the day after the flood – the award-winning Puppet Theatre premiered its new production ‘13… Tibatvisa’, which translates to ‘13… June’ in English.

The play, directed by Guram Matskhonashvili, was purposely presented to the public for the first time on March 13 to mark the date when dozens died and hundreds lost their homes in the flash flood.

To further symbolise the theme of the show, the play featured 13 actors on stage.

A scene from the premiere of the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre's production ‘13… Tibatvisa’. Photo from the Theatre.

Based on interviews with individuals who survived the flood, the play told the stories of witnesses of the natural disaster in central Tbilisi that claimed the lives of 22 people and hundreds of animals from the capital's zoo.

See Agenda.ge's web documentary project on the June 13 flood in central Tbilisi.

The focus of the show was on the Tbilisi flood but it also subtly raised the global issue of women’s experiences in disasters as well as the relationship between humans and living space they shared.

The play was staged by director Guram Matskhonashvili. Photo from the Theatre.

Social activism and urban development were also topics touched on in Matskhonashvili's play. 

The show portrayed scenes from literary works by authors including the late 20th Century Argentinian essayist Jorge Luis Borges and Georgian writers to emphasise these topics.

The Puppet Theatre’s latest show involved a live cast of actors and only featured one puppet in its finale.

Announced last year, the production was part of the Theatre's program for an adult audience. At the time Matskhonashvili said the company wished to raise public awareness of the State Puppet Theatre as a place for young and adult audiences.