Meet a Georgian Actor Climbing the Ladder in New York

Interview

Actor Anna Cherkezishvili was born in the town of Akhaltsikhe, but was raised in Tbilisi. As a child in the 90s, she experienced civil war and challenging social times. She kept the light shining with her mum’s support and her dream of becoming an artist, as an escape from the tough financial and political times. She joined the Georgian University of Theater and Film and majored in Filmmaking, participating in a number of short films as a lead actress. One of those films, “They are coming”, received an award for “Best Film” in Italy, at the CinemadaMare festival. Today, she is working as an actor in New York. GEORGIA TODAY spoke to her to find out more.

How did you get from Tbilisi to New York?

I auditioned and joined the theater company Dramatic Adventure in 2013-2014 in New York. I traveled to two gorgeous countries Slovakia and later in Ecuador to create plays with them. In 2015- 2018, I studied in the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York to improve and heighten my acting skills. Since then I’ve been working as an international actress in New York and internationally. 

You are interested in the issue of inclusion, particularly social inclusion. Tell us about it and any future projects in relation to it.

As an actor, I would like to create work that best serves the audience and my craft. I believe theater and film helps us to see various social issues by putting things in front of an audience for consideration. Actors can positively affect people’s lives and in certain cases reveal an insight into human nature. My aim is to introduce the world hidden from everyday life, andto share it with the audience.

There are several future projects that I’m excited about. The ‘Inside the Artists Mind’ play is about the inclusion of female artists, and is in development with the Rattelstick Playwrights Theater. It focuses on the creative process, and why actors choose the work they do, as well as what it is like to be a female artist. Another project about inclusion is ‘A Mirror Returns an Image with No Face’ about stereotypes that are harmful for women and how the main character gets through a traumatic experience in life. I’m working with wonderful artist Suzi Talahashi to develop this project. New project ‘Hannah’ is another very exciting play that I’m working on, with Georgian American author Rusudan Tchubabria. It’s about a Georgian immigrant arriving in the United States in search of her American dream.She’s hired as a caretaker to an elderly woman Hannah. We’re planning to stage the play at the Georgian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.

 Are interested more in acting in film or TV?

In several years or so, I’d like to move my career towards Film and TV. Currently, I’m working in theater which takes all my time and passion, and I am happy to do so. I would like to try and direct my own projects and to get into the medium of art production too.

By Vazha Tavberidze