Batumi International Theatre Festival
By Mariam Chanishvili
Monday, December 30
Batumi International Theatre Festival took place on December 7-20 in Western Georgia.
The festival performances were hosted by the recently renovated Batumi Theatre that meets the requirements of all the technical parameters.
With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Batumi hosted the1st edition of the international festival.
The idea of creating a large-scale international theatre festival in Batumi belongs to the artistic director of the Ilia Chavchavadze Batumi State Drama Theatre Andro Enukidze and his friends.
The work on the implementation of the idea has been conducted for several years already and by this December, it has become possible to host a festival.
The festival was chaired by an international board of experts composed of influential theatrical producers, theologians, festival directors: Roman Doljanski (Israel), Dariush Kosinski (Poland), Jacek Glombi (Poland), Asa Kazlausenke (Poland), Asa Kazlausenke (Poland) and Andro Enukidze (Chairman, Georgia).
The program featured Berliner ensemble MEDEA Germany, directed by Michael Thalheimer, Macbeth directed by Giorgi Chkhaidze, Syndrome or who are you singing to?! (by Slawomir Mrozek), directed Andro Enukidze, Khanuma (by Avkstenti Tsagareli), directed by Andro Enukidze, etc.
The world-famous leading theater companies and troupes from Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, selected by the International Board of Experts took part in the first international festival in Batumi.
Goals of the festival include the emergence of Batumi as a city with rich theatrical traditions on the world theater map, spreading information about Adjara - in Europe and worldwide to introduce Georgian viewers to the world's leading, best theatrical companies and current trends in the world theater arts, to share experiences and facilitate partnerships for international projects and co-productions.
The festival is a platform for the promotion of modern theatre forms in the Adjara region and the growth and development of the qualification of the creative community in the region.
