Maia Kiknadze
PhD in Art History
Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University.
Associated Professor.
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID:
Maia Kiknadze
PhD in Art History
Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University.
Associated Professor.
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID:
Rapiel Eristavi and the Georgian Theater
The social and cultural life of the second half of the 19th century is unimaginable without the work Rapiel Eristavi’s activities. Society for Spreading the Literacy among Georgians, Georgian theater, drama society and other important national projects were created with great efforts of RapielEristavi and public figures.
His theatrical activity is especially important in Rapiel Eristavi's versatile work. The close relationship of a writer with the theater started in Kutaisi. In 1867, he became the leader stage lovers’ Society, which was later joined by Akaki Tsereteli, temporarily returning to Georgia from Russia. RapielEristavi also worked as a prompter in his society, as was customary in the old theater. It is also known that Eristavi played several times in the play (for example, in 1867, the role of SirajAvetika in the play "What I was looking for and what I found" by Barbare Jorjadze).
In 1879, when the permanent theater was established, RapielEristavi stood at the head of the Georgian theater and helped the theater in the creation of repertoire with his plays. The permanent professional theater was opened exactly by staging his and his sister Barbare Jorjadze's plays that the permanent professional theater (today's Rustaveli National Theater) was opened.
Rapiel Eristavi’s merit in the history of Georgian theater is primarily determined by his dramaturgical activity. He is the author of several original and adapted vaudeville comedies, which were particularly popular in the 60s and 80s of the 19th century. His vaudeville acts played a major role in the development of the vaudeville genre. He has both original and adapted comedies that suit the character of the Georgian man and the taste of the Georgian spectator. In his plays, the writer talked about the problems of society. The deplorable condition in schools and the injustice of the judicial system of that time.
The peculiarity of Rapiel Eristavi's dramaturgy is primarily revealed in his folk and spoken language. The famous theatrical figure Giorgi Tumanishvili noted: "The Georgian language does not seem so rich in contemporary writing as in the writings of Rapiel Eristavi".
In 1881, when the drama society was created, Rapiel Eristavi was among the founders (Alexander Kazbegi, Ivane Machabeli, Vaso Abashidze, Anton Purtseladze, Niko Avalishvili and others). And later on June 28, 1884, he was elected as the chairman at the meeting of the Dramatic Society.
The popularity of Rapiel Eristavi's plays and his life on the stage were also stipulated by the fact that the author was well aware of the stage art and the abilities of Georgian actors of that time.
The history of the staging of Rapiel Eristavi's plays begins with the performances of the Stage Lovers Society (1875). Since this period, many of his plays have been staged. Even today, Rapiel Eristavi's play "First died, then married" is included in the repertoire of Mikheil Tumanishvili’s Theater (stage director: Gogi Margvelashvili).
Keywords: vaudeville, dramatic society, scenic interpretation, permanent professional theater, troupe of stage lovers.