A line-up of Georgian theatre directors, dramatists and other professionals will launch the first edition of New Drama Festival, an event celebrating experimental stage art, in Tbilisi this Sunday. Established in the city with a range of conventional theatre festivals, the new project aims to be distinct with its approach of “mature” subjects for plays. This is not a festival of amusement where we have fun, keep pleasant emotions, and it ends with that.” Our request [for the event] is that it has to be experimental and bold both in its themes and form”, festival curator Sopho Kilasonia told Radio Tavisupleba reporters. 

Armed with this concept, organisers selected a program of productions that touch “subjects drawn from social and political contexts”, the curator also said. For the maiden edition, the plays to be presented to audiences include works by directors Meri Beroshvili, Data Tavadze, Nana Ekvtimishvili, Paata Tsikolia and Guram Matskhonashvili. Known for their award-winning and contemporary work for stage art, they will introduce theatre-goers to six shows at a pavilion of the Georgian Film studios in the capital.

Adding an element of mixture of contemporary art forms, some of the plays performed will be accompanied with music from celebrated Georgian producers including Hamatsuki, TETE NOISE and Quemmekh.

Organisers have also diversified the program of the event by planning an “open space” workshop on “city as a material” for text used in stage production. Another activity introducing a wider function to the festival is going to be a discussion on Polish theatre scene, hosted by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. Launching on July 1, the first New Drama Festival will close on July 10.