Rustaveli National Theatre ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველის სახელობის აკადემიური თეატრი ) is the largest and one of the oldest theaters of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, located in its capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

Rustaveli Avenue Rustaveli Avenue ( ka, რუსთაველის გამზირი, ''Rust'avelis Gamziri''), formerly known as ''Golovin Street'', is the central avenue in Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The avenue st ...

. Housed in an ornate

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

-style edifice, the theatre was founded in 1887 and since 1921 has carried the name of Georgia's national poet Rustaveli.

History and architecture

The building was founded in 1887 as an "Artists' Society". Upon request of the Artists' Society, several celebrated artists were commissioned to paint

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es on the walls and ceilings of the basement. These artists included prominent Georgian painters

Lado Gudiashvili Lado Gudiashvili ( ka, ლადო გუდიაშვილი; 30 March 1896 – 20 July 1980) was a Georgian artist of the 20th century. Gudiashvili was born into a family of a railroad employee. He studied in the Tbilisi school of sculp ...

and

David Kakabadze Davit' Kakabadze ( ka, დავით კაკაბაძე) (August 20, 1889 – May 10, 1952) was a leading Georgian avant-garde painter, graphic artist and scenic designer. A multi-talent, he was also an art scholar and innovator in the fie ...

, as well as theatre set designer

Serge Sudeikin Sergey Yurievich Sudeikin, also known as Serge Soudeikine (19 March 1882 in Smolensk – 12 August 1946 in Nyack, New York), was a Russian artist and set-designer associated with the Ballets Russes and the Metropolitan Opera. Biography Havin ...

, who is known for his work for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

and the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

. Two other important Georgian painters, Mose and Iracly Toidze, eventually joined the project as well. The masterpieces that once adorned the lower level of the Rustaveli Theatre were whitewashed during the period of Soviet rule and only a small portion of the frescoes has been restored. In 1921 the building was renamed Rustaveli Theatre. Construction of the theatre was funded by Alexander Mantashev and it was designed by Cornell K. Tatishchev and

Aleksander Szymkiewicz Aleksander Szymkiewicz (12 November 1858, in Saint Petersburg – 1908, in Tbilisi) was a Polish architect who worked in Georgia (primarily in Tbilisi) in the 1880s–1900s. He was a member of the City Council and municipal architect of Tbili ...

, Tbilisi's Municipal Architect. From 2002 to 2005 the theatre underwent a thorough renovation, which was largely funded by Georgian businessman

Bidzina Ivanishvili Bidzina Ivanishvili ( ka, ბიძინა ივანიშვილი, also known as Boris Grigoryevich Ivanishvili ; born 18 February 1956) is a Georgia (country), Georgian politician, billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who serv ...

Performance facilities

The theatre is home to three stages including, the main stage (about 800 seats), the small stage (283 seats) and a

Black Box Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

(182 seats) for experimental performances. The theatre is also available for conferences and events and houses a large ballroom, a small ballroom and a small foyer.

Photo gallery

File:59Rustavelis theatri.jpg, An early photo of Rustaveli Theatre. File:Rustaveli ceiling.jpg,

ceiling File:Rustaveli hall.jpg, Audience boxes in the main hall File:Web 2493.jpg, Audience boxes & decorative ceiling.

External links

Official site
Cultural venues in Tbilisi Rustaveli Avenue Theatres in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in Tbilisi {{Georgia-struct-stub