For the sixth year in a row, Tbilisi will host the 24-Hour Experimental Theater Festival. This year’s festival will take place June 4-5 at Rustaveli Theater, organized by the Contemporary Art Research Laboratory (CARL) and Rustaveli Theater with financial support from the US Embassy in Georgia and partnership with Tbilisi City Hall. This year, for the first time, the festival will be held in English and in Georgian. The founder and artistic director is Nino Maglakelidze of CARL.

The festival is a competition for young playwrights between the ages of 21 and 37. The playwrights will have a set amount of time to write their script within the theme, then are randomly assigned a participating director, actors, and set designers to bring the play to life. Applications are due May 30.

Half the working groups will be in Georgian and half will be in English. In introducing English to the festival, Georgian playwrights will be encouraged to make a more international product, and the Georgian theater scene will be more opened to those not knowing Georgian . The theme of this year’s festival is '100 Years of Independence.'

Festival performances will be held on the Experimental Stage, a smaller black box theater on the upper floor of the Rustaveli Theater building. All final performances are free and open to the public. The concept of a 24-hour theater festival was developed in the United States and the United Kingdom. Today there are such festivals in various countries and languages.

The festival will include a masterclass on June 3, open to the public, with the theme 100 Years of Independence. Participants will explore how the role of artists in a free society and discuss how free speech and expression are critical to a democracy. They will also have the opportunity to warm up their English writing skills through simple prompts.

For updates, see the festival Facebook page.

By Samantha Guthrie

Image source: 24 H Experimental Theatre Festival Facebook