State Marionette Theatre Rezo Gabriadze, Marionette theatre in Old Town, Tbilisi, Georgia.
The State Marionette Theatre Rezo Gabriadze is a puppet theatre in the Old Town of Tbilisi, where handcrafted marionettes perform on a small, elaborately decorated stage. The building itself is a historic structure in the heart of the old city, recognizable by the animated clock tower on its facade.
The theatre was founded in 1981 by Rezo Gabriadze at a time when creative freedom in Georgia was tightly limited. Puppetry offered a way to tell stories that other art forms could not easily explore under Soviet rule.
The theatre is closely tied to the work of Rezo Gabriadze, a Georgian writer, painter and puppet maker who crafted the figures himself. Performances tend to tell stories about loss and memory that feel rooted in everyday Georgian life.
The theatre is in the Old Town and easy to reach on foot from nearby sights. Because the hall is small, it is worth reserving a seat well ahead of your planned visit.
On the facade of the building there is a small animated clock that plays a short mechanical scene every hour. Many visitors stop to watch it before they have even seen a performance inside.
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