Alexandra Krauze

Mute Conversations By Alexandra Krauze Pantomime is the art of creating scenes and characters by using movement, mimicry, and gesture. Through this genre comes from time immemorial, it is peculiar to the creative work of actors, and forms the base of acting. Emotionally expressive movement is a natural element of pantomime – acting can’t exist without it. Pantomime is a fundamental art form, other forms of dramatic and musical theatre originates from it. As K. S. Stanislavski once said: “Silence quite often influences us more strongly, subtly, and irresistibly than speech. Mute conversation might be more interesting and persuasive than worded conversation.” The Georgian nation is very theatrical. Our theatric tradition, and the manners and cheerfulness of our characters are sure proof of that. Georgia was the first country of the former Soviet Union to create a State Pantomime Theatre. Fluid, expressive and emotional exertion are some of the reasons for this theatre success. Kote Marjanisviliwas first Georgian director to stage pantomime performances. He staged his first plays in Russia. Than he returned home and staged two plays: “Mzetamze” and “Handzari” (“Fire”). His splendid and striking dream of opening a pantomime theatre came

true only after his death, when in 1976 year Amiran Shalikashvili created Georgian State Pantomime Theatre. After many years of wandering, in 1989 the Pantomime Theatre found a permanent home at 37 Rustaveli Ave. There it has remained situated to the present day, where it continues its work and attains new heights. Amiran Shalikashvili is the founder and director of the Georgian State Pantomime Theatre. As a choreographer, he helps the bodies of his actors to sing, to laugh, and to cry. The actor’s bodiesexpress internal feelings better than words would. Shalikashvili is a poet, a writer, an actor, and a teacher, - part Charlie Chaplin and part Marcel Marceau. GT interviewed Amiran Shalikashvili: Q: The Pantomime Theater presents “Terenti Graneli” November 3 and 10. You will also be performing “Pirosmani mepe” (“King Pirosmani”) on November 7. Please tell us something about these performances. A: “Pirosmani Mepe” was staged a long time ago. It is Guram Dochanashvili’s play. It was performed in many countries, including seventeen cities in Holland. What can I say about this play?! I like the tasty roast meat that is cooked for the holiday “Pirosmanoba”, but only Pirosmani’s life and creative work are important and interesting to me. In this play we try to show him as a painter, as a man in love. “Terenti Graneli” came to me by chance. The scenario belongs to Revaz Mishveladze. I was thinking

about the play for eight months, - eight months, not eight days or eight hours. Than I started to improvise, and the process of working on this play involved me so intensely that I did not know what I was doing. Now that I can see what I have done, I think its great! My son plays title role in this play. Whoever misses this performance will miss out the future of Georgian theatre. Terenti Graneli’s life was full of tragedy. He said to other poets, “Please, just leave me alone, this is my life, don’t aspire to it.” Georgian theatres always emphasize Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “Othello.” I think that we must perform our own plays. “Hamlet” and “Othello” have their own homeland, and England will treat them as they deserved, while we risk losing our background and our cultural treasures. We have our David Kldiashvili, our Ilia Chavchavadze and Akaki Tsereteli. What belongs to us will never belong to others, what the rest of the world owns will never be ours. We plan to show “Terenti Graneli” in Europe, but I think we must change its titile to “The Poet”, or “Not death, not life, but something else.” What else? Come and see it! Q: What are you doing at this moment? A: We are rehearsing “Don Juan”, but I really don’t want to talk about it. Q: What was the last reward that the theatre received?

A: We won first prize in Spainthis summer. We visited the Mediterranean Festival with our “Krimanchuli” and novels and returned home in triumph. It was our second visit to Spain. Our first time there was in 2003. We won money, and the Ministry of Culture apportioned us ten thousand GEL. That was all the money that we had for the trip, and of course it was not enough. It sufficed for the drive from Tbilisi to Barcelona, but from Barcelona to Alikante our pockets were entirely empty. I tried to some more money. I appealed to Tbilisi’s City Admin9istration – nothing. I tried get my own salary in advance – still nothing. But our trip to Spain was twelve days of celebration for our audience, and was a great holiday for us too! In the evenings we paraded in the streets with live statues. Now we have our own impresario in Europe. My gratitude toward my actors is very high – it is hard to act in the street, but they did it and they did it perfectly. Q: Do you have any plans for the future? A:

I plan to subjugate Europe!

Our theatre has many invitations from Greece, Italy, and Poland. Next year in August we will participate in the World Pantomime Festival in Valencia. Every country where I show my magic I am asked to stay, but I prefer to be a guest – I like to leave and than come back home. I can be in Spain for a little while, but I am really here, in Georgia. I am not a great patriot – I am just a real Georgian man. Our theatre has a Georgian repertoire, and I will shoe Europeour poets, our painters, our character, our heart and our soul.

Q: Please, tell us in detail about your books. A: My first book was a volume of collected poems titled “Dumilis Shemdeg” (“After Silence”). Then I wrote the poem “Khilvebi Pirosmanxe” (“Visions about Pirosmani”), after which I wrote “Pantomima – Dumilis Poesia” (“Pantomime – Poetry of Silence”), and “Tsremliani Shemodgoma” (“Tearful Autumn”). I plan to publish two more books. Q: If you had ability to change one thing in your life what would you choose? A: I would fall in love with a woman again. Woman… I was born of woman and I will never betray her. “The Georgian Times”, October 30, 2006.