Gift Festival - First Week Roundup
Last week Tbilisi saw the opening of the 21st annual Georgian International Festival of Arts in Honour of Michail Tumanishvili, or Gift Festival for short. The festival will run from October 18th until November 16th 2018, delivering a wide range of productions, and promoting European understanding and culture to Georgian and international theatre-goers. Gift team member Holly Taylor-Zuntz, from England, gives us a roundup of the week’s events.
On Monday 15th October we welcomed the six members of the international collective The Krumple, from Norway, France, Denmark and the UK. It was the first time in Georgia for all of them, so I made sure to take them for some traditional Georgian food and wine that evening.
Tuesday was another exciting day for our team, as we held a press conference for the festival at the Moxy Hotel. All the big digital and print press were there, gathered round a table, along with several foreign ambassadors and the minister for culture. Festival Artistic Director Keti Dolidze announced that this year the festival is proud to host a Norwegian Focus; showcasing three Norwegian companies at the avant-garde of physical theatre and dance. The Krumple, graduates of the Lecoq school in Paris, bring their innovative piece Yokai, Remedy for Depair; Winter Guests, bring their kabuki-flamenco mash-up Simulacrum; and the Ingri Fiksdal Company, bring their anthropological dance-concert, State. There will also be an Italian Focus, specifically Sardinian Culture Days, as we welcome the folk ensemble Tenore Murales, to share their polyphonic singing, and Sardegna Teatro, performing Macbettu, Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth, in Sardinian. We also welcome the Hofesh Schecter Company from the UK, and several renowned Georgian and Russian plays. These, along with culturally enriching round-table talks, film screenings, public lectures and folk parties combine to create the most exciting programme the festival has seen thus far.
On Wednesday there were long technical rehearsals for Yokai, after which the team needed a wind-down, so I took them to the famous Tbilisi sulphur baths. We spent two hours in our own private suite, complete with a sauna and plunge pool. We even had the epic skin scrubs - I could never imagine how much dead skin I was carrying around until that moment! This evening really did the trick for the company, and meant they were refreshed and ready for their show the next day.
Thursday was the big day, the official opening of the festival. I spent the afternoon on the hunt for props for The Krumple. They needed a green soup or smoothie for their show. It turns out, neither smoothies nor thick soups are popular in Tbilisi, so I ended up getting a jar of guacamole and a packet of noodle soup! Thankfully it worked for them, though one of the actors said she was baffled by the smell of guacamole in one of the scenes.
At 5pm I joined the GIFT Team at Vineria, who were working hard to get the place ready for all the guests. The space looked spectacular; it’s an underground treasure trove of wines, and the perfect setting for the grand opening of the festival. At 6pm, we welcomed the esteemed guests, which included the Norwegian ambassador and his team from Baku, as well as the Japanese, French and Brazilian ambassadors, and the Georgian minister of culture. After a welcoming speech from Keti Dolidze, we were treated to a performance from Royal Giraffe, an Estonian circus troupe, with stunning costumes and mysterious choreography.
After a reception of delicious wine and food, we headed to the Royal District Theatre, for the next treat of the evening, Yokai. It was an exceptionally beautiful piece, and showcased the artists physical talent and imaginations wonderfully. They captured the audience with intricate object manipulation, and interweaving storylines.
Following the show, we went back to Vineria, the festival club, for a post show celebration. The food was outstanding and so was the wine. I think their amber wine is the best I’ve ever tasted!
We didn’t have long to be sad though, as we welcomed the next show of the festival: Astigmatists, directed by Ioseb Bakuradze at the Movement Theatre. The feel-good production was created in the style of silent movies and performed by a talented cast of five. The physical comedy told the story of a somewhat dysfunctional family, and what happens when you see the world a little differently.
On Friday 26th and Saturday 27th October we welcome the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory, from the Moscow Theatre “School of Dramatic Arts”, presenting their show Bezpridannitsa (Without a Dowry), and we are also holding an Arts and Crafts show on Saturday 27th. Both events will take place at the Rustaveli State Theatre.
For a full schedule of the month’s events, pick up a programme in Prospero’s book store, or visit the GIFT Festival Facebook page.