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Q: A Synetic production is always a stunning visual spectacle, with
minimal or no spoken text, and dramatic music underscoring. You have
developed a unique style. Can you tell us about it?
A: As the name of our
company suggests, we focus on a synthesis of several art forms and
theatrical mediums: text, music, dance, pantomime and so on. Since my wife
and I were both born, raised and trained in Georgia, the unique theatrical
traditions there heavily influence all our work. After the Soviet collapse,
I formed a small touring company in Germany and was able to move around,
exploring various other theatrical styles and traditions which have also
influenced what we do. When we came to this country I wanted to create a
company that was unique, unlike any other theater company in its style,
vision and experimentation.
Q: What do you do as an
Artistic Director?
A: Well, first, I come
from a country where the traditions of running of a theatre are very
different. In former Soviet countries, the theatre was always sponsored by
the state; the salaries were guaranteed and so on. It’s not quite the same
here. At first, I had a hard time figuring out how everything works, how the
community works, what the traditions are, what the needs are. But once I
gained some experience and began to understand, I felt I could make it work.
I am really thankful to other local artistic directors for their guidance,
advice and the great example they have set: Michael Kahn of The Shakespeare
Theater, Ari Roth of Theater J, just to name a couple. I am very, very
grateful to them. What I do now primarily is try to find the money. Try to
find donors. Try to convince people to support the theatre and get them
excited about what we do. I also plan the season and select our artistic
teams - designers, artists, actors. Then, of course, we have to train our
actors. We need a well trained repertory team because Synetic’s theatrical
vocabulary is different from anyone else’s. It takes time for actors to get
it. They need to learn concentration, and our abstract and surreal movement
style. Maybe our shows look simple or effortless but, believe me, they’re
anything but. I also have to keep everyone around me inspired, which takes a
lot. But it all comes back to me in the end, when I see our actors and
donors and audiences inspired by what we do. I would love to have a full
season of at least 5 productions so I’ve started looking for another
director to help since it takes quite a lot of time and energy to produce
and direct three original productions each year on my own.
Q: Do you have an outside
job?
A: No. I am very lucky
that I don’t need one. I teach part-time at Catholic University, but as far
as a “day job” as such, no. I’m careful with whatever money I have, not that
I have much but, as long as I can keep my family and the theater going,
that’s really all that matters to me. I’ve never had any outside job in my
life. Good thing too because I really don’t know what else to do. What I
know is theatre. That’s all I know.
Q: Do you remember the
first play you ever saw?
A: Of course. I’ll never
forget it. I was 9 years old and saw a play called The Musicians from
Bremen. It’s an experience that continues to influence me to this day. I
joined the producing company and started training right away. I’ve been
hooked ever since.
Q: So – you were acting?
A: I started as an actor
and after high school I studied for 4 years at the State Institute of
Theater and Film and then for another 5 years at Tbilisi University where I
earned my Master’s Degree in film directing.
Q: How do you decide
which stories to tell in a season?
A: In the beginning, I
only did what my artistic instincts dictated. But then I began to understand
marketing. Sometimes I feel I have a great idea for a show but,
unfortunately, it might be a title which is not known and therefore not too
marketable. I brainstorm with my artists and always try to listen to their
suggestions on what’s marketable and what would fit our company. Dracula,
for example. It’s certainly a well-known name as well as being a perfect fit
for the company, in terms of movement potential and so on. Lots of fertile
ground there. Greg Marzullo, my former marketing developer, came up with
that one. He’s a smart guy and I am very thankful for his input. Sometimes I
don’t know the first thing about a story. Animal Farm, for example. I
am told that everyone is familiar with it here. I gave it a shot, read the
book and loved it. (Animal Farm will be in Synetic’s 2006-2007
season.)
Q: From the time that you
start working on a story, how long before you get into the first rehearsal?
A: It takes me at least a
month to do all the research; the literature, the music, the designs,
everything. Lately, it’s been taking about two months to put an entire show
together. We take more rehearsal time than other companies because actors
are learning a completely different style. But my team is now uniformly
well-trained. They understand everything perfectly, so we can do it in 8
weeks or so.
Q: That is amazing that
you can be ready to open a completely original production in just three
months. Can you tell us about the music you use?
A: The composer I rely on
primarily is Giya Kancheli, a very unique Georgian composer. His music has a
timeless, epic, cinematic quality which is perfect for us. It tells a story
in and of itself. I also use Alfred Schnittke, another very unique musician.
I try to figure out which composer will work best on a show by show basis.
But I always try to find composers who have backgrounds in movies or
theatre.
Q: Tell us about
The Dybbuk. (Feb 11 – Mar 19, 2006 at
Theater J.)
A: It’s not easy to
describe, but I’ll try. It’s going to be a very new approach to an old story
about a very unique people, the Jews of Georgia. Jewish history there dates
back more than 26 centuries and our country has always been a haven for Jews
the world over. None of the usual discrimination or anti-Semitism as seen
throughout the rest of Europe. Anski’s Dybbuk is the most theatrical
of Jewish theatrical texts, and it’s got great themes of such powerful drama
throughout: ill-fated lovers, destiny, tradition, so on. Even exorcism and
the “transmigration of souls.” It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen.
You have to see it. Very dramatic. An amazing play. You’ll also see Georgian
Jewish dance. Probably it is the first time in the history of American
theater that Georgian Jewish culture has been presented, and I am very proud
because I got the chance to do it.
Q: If you had unlimited
resources, and could produce anything, anywhere in the world, what would you
do?
A: Very nice question.
First of all, I would build a theater. A theater company needs a home, which
I am working toward now. That is my biggest dream. I would also put all my
actors on salary. Usually, they’re coming from their day jobs and my
rehearsals take all the rest of their energy from them. It’s easy to get
burnt out. I love Washington, so I would stay here. I love the audiences and
I love the theater community here. I feel people like what I do and that
they support me, which is really amazing.
Q: What is next for
Synetic?
A: Next up, I’m doing
Faust, a story which I’ve produced a couple times before. But this time,
I want to take it in a very modern direction. And in September I will
produce Frankenstein, a story I’ve always wanted to do.
Q: If you could become
any creature on earth, what would it be?
A: A horse. It’s a very
symbolic creature - a symbol of freedom. A wild horse can run anywhere, then
can change direction and go the other way. I would also be an eagle. Being a
“highlander,” coming from the mountains in Georgia, my soul is very close to
the eagle. I like to look from the top of the mountain.
Q: So you would create a
new creature who was a horse on earth and an eagle in the sky?
A: Absolutely. That is my
nature. I have been on the high mountains. I know how it looks. It is
amazing. To be free and to soar. That’s me.
Potomac Stages reviews of shows
directed by Paata Tsikurishvili as of February 17, 2006:
The Dybbuk - Synetic Theater and Theater J
Dracula
- Synetic Theater
Jason and the
Argonauts - Synetic Theater
Bohemians - Synetic Theater
The Master and Margarita
- Synetic Theater
The Crackpots - Synetic Theater
Hamlet
... the Rest is Silence - Synetic Theater
The Misadventures of Dr. Frank-n-Flubber - Synetic Theater
Salomé - Stanislavsky Theater Studio
Faust - Stanislavsky Theater Studio
Buratino, A Russian Pinocchio Story - Classika Theatre
The Tale
of the Fisherman & The Golden Fish - Classika Theatre
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