Georgian-American cast features in the upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast

Irinka Kavsadze (Belle), Irakli Kavsadze (Jean Paul – Father), and Nutsa Tediashvili (Claudette – sister) feature in the Synetic Theater production of the Beauty and the Beast co-directed by Ben Cunis & Vato Tsikurishvili. The iconic play, choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili is scheduled to open March 3. Georgian community members and friends will enjoy a special discount code. Be sure to check out our social media and website updates closer to date.

As the theater tells it’s story, “Synetic Theater emerged from the creative vision of founders Georgian immigrants Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, who emigrated from Georgia in 1995.  Trained in dance, theatre, and film, the Tsikurishvilis combine traditions of the Caucasus with distinctly American styles to tell classic stories through movement, music, technology and visual arts. Synetic made its artistic debut in 2001, with its  first wordless Shakespeare production, Hamlet…the rest is silence, thrilling audiences with its athletic and high-voltage physical theatre. Synetic’s innovative take on Hamlet earned three Helen Hayes Awards: Outstanding Resident Play, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Director.

Synetic Theater has become a monument in the American theater landscape, known for athleticism, character-based storytelling, and stunning visuals presentations. With a large classical repertoire familiar across the globe and a showcase for international stories never before seen by an American audience, Synetic continues to deepen its reach. Synetic Theater’s artistry revolves around the practice of Host & Guest, meaning that everyone is welcome at the table, to share in the host’s meal, and especially all are welcome to create art.”

For more detail about the history of the theater and its founding family, please visit https://synetictheater.org/mission/


Georgian Heritage School in San Francisco

The School of Georgian Heritage of the Georgian Heritage Foundation in Santa Clara, CA (https://www.facebook.com/GeorgianHeritageFoundation) was founded in August 2020. The goal of the organization is to promote, preserve and popularize Georgian Heritage among the Bay Area’s Georgian community and friends of Georgia. The school currently conducts online classes free of charge for over 40 students concentrating on teaching the Georgian language. The donation was made possible by a scholarship fund managed by the Georgian Association in the US.

If you are interested in supporting the Georgian Heritage School in San Francisco, please visit our donation page or contact us.


Georgian Female Artists Series

In this series of conversations, Tbilisi-born and New York-based curator and art writer Nina Mdivani profiled twelve Georgian women artists.

  • Natela Grigalashvili
  • Rusudan Khizanishvili
  • Vera Pagava
  • Elene Akhvlediani
  • Tamara Abakelia
  • Natela Iankoshvili
  • Ema Lalaeva-Ediberidze
  • Gayane Khachaturian
  • Esma Oniani
  • Keti Kapanadze
  • Tamara Kvesitadze
  • Mariam Natroshvili

Some of them are known to the wider audience, while some deserve to be rediscovered. Each presentation includes interviews with experts or artists followed by a Q&A session.

You can watch recordings of each event on YouTube and below:

Meeting One: Natela Grigalashvili & Rusudan Khizanishvili Conversation between pioneering Georgian photographer Natela Grigalashvili and distinguished figurative artist Rusudan Khizanaishvili. Both interviewed by Nina Mdivani in April 2021.

Natela Grigalashvili
Rusudan Khizanishvili

Meeting Two: Vera Pagava. Conversation between Paris-based Elisso Tarassachvili, president, Anna Tarassachvili, collection manager and project manager of the Cultural Association Vera Pagava (Association Culturelle Vera Pagava – AC/VP) and curator Nina Mdivani. Recorded May 2021.

Vera Pagava

Meeting Three: Elene Akhvlediani. Conversation between Nino Khundadze, Chief Curator of New and Contemporary Art Collections at the Georgian National Museum and curator Nina Mdivani. The third episode features Elene Akhvlediani (1901-1975), an iconic representative of Georgian art.

Meeting Four: Tamar Abakelia and Natela Iakoshvili. Presentation about Tamar Abakelia. Conversation between British artist and art critic Alexander Adams and curator Nina Mdivani about Georgian painter Natela Iankoshvili (1918-2008). Recorded in July 2021.

Tamar Abakelia
Natela Iankoshvili

Meeting Five: Ema Lalaeva-Ediberidze and Gayane Khachaturian. Conversation with researcher and writer Kristine Darchia about Ema (Lali) Lalaeva-Ediberidze (1904-1991). Recorded summer 2021. And a conversation with researcher and writer Ketevan Tomaradze about Gayane Khachaturian (1942-2009).

Ema Lalaeva-Ediberidze
Gayane Khachaturian

Meeting Six: Esma Oniani and Keti Kapanadze. Conversation between Nina Mdivani and Tbilisi-based researcher Tornike Kobiashvili about painter and poet Esma Oniani (1938-1999). And interview with Georgian conceptual artist Keti Kapanadze (b.1962) where she talks about her practice and experience of being the first conceptual female artist in 1990s in Tbilisi.

Esma Oniani
Keti Kapanadze

Meeting Seven: Tamara Kvesitadze and Mariam Natroshvili Conversation between Nina Mdivani and Tamara Kvesitadze (b.1968), well-known multimedia artist, famous for her kinetic sculptures. And interview with Georgian conceptual and digital artist Mariam Natroshvili (b.1984) discussing her engagement with Georgian script and new digital direction she will be presenting this year at the Venice Biennale.

Tamara Kvesitadze
Mariam Natroshvili
The King Is Female