Theater-Studio “Modi – Nakhe”
On November 5, 1945, the Polytechnic Institute’s (now Georgian Technical University) theatre troupe had their opening night. Dorian Kitia, an architecture student at the Faculty of Architecture, who went on to become a renowned artist and the director of the Art Fund of Georgia, founded the theatre group. In different years people’s artist of Georgia Nodar Chkheidze, great director Mikheil Tumanishvili, Irakli Kokrashvili, actor Avtandil Kakhniashvili, Avtandil Gelovani, Marlen Kitia, Kote Makharadze, Gogi Kavtaradze, Avtandil Evnadze, TV director Tariel Kurtskhalia, honoured artists of Georgia Boris Tsifuria, Abesalom Loria and Murman Jinoria were among the people that served here.
More than 100 works by Georgian and foreign authors were produced on the theatre’s stage between 1945 and 2022.
Since 1975, Nugzar Butskhrikidze, a graduate of our institution and a student of the renowned Georgian director Dimitri Aleksidze, has led the theatre.
The theatre gained recognition throughout these years as the recipient of numerous international festival awards and the “Grand Prix”. Many plays have been shown with tremendous success since the 1980s, both in the republics of the former Soviet Union and in many other countries throughout the world. including the Baltic States, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, Germany, France, Japan, the United States of America, Finland, Turkey, Italy, Malta, and many Asian countries.
On this stage, world-famous Georgian actors such as Giorgi Gegechkori, Givi Berikashvili, Elene Kipshidze, Murman Jinoria, Khatuna Ioseliani, and others performed with the students.
The theatre had a close connection with notable writers and prominent personalities such as Rezo Gabriadze, Guram Dochanashvili, Otia Ioseliani, Gigla Khukhashvili, Lasha Tabukashvili, Rezo Kldiashvili, Dato Turashvili, and others.
In different years, composers Jansul Kakhidze, Gia Kancheli, Iakob Bobokhidze, Vaniko Machavariani, Iviko Sakvarelidze, Jemal Sepiashvili, Gia Macharashvili, and Zaza Marjanishvili collaborated with the theatre. Maestro Vakhtang (Vato) Kakhidze, who worked with the theatre from 1988 to 2000, deserves special note. He composed music for the play “The Taming of the Shrew” in 1997, which won the Grand Prix at the Japan World Amateur Festival. He took part in performances as well as folklore concerts, which were performed following the shows and had a 30-minute programme.
The theatre cooperated with choreographers Jano Bagrationi, Rezo Chokhonelidze, and Giorgi Osepashvili. Mrs. Tsiso Kobakhidze is still actively cooperating.
Former actors from this theatre can be found in various countries across the world. They founded and opened Georgian cultural centres and theatres where children of Georgian immigrants can learn about Georgian culture and art, as well as the Georgian language.
The theatrical setting established the groundwork for the vocal trios “Taiguli” (Nukri Kapanadze, Piso Bedoshvili, and MaIa Chachibaia) and “Natoebi” (Nato Metonidze, Nato Bochorishvili, and Megi Kakhniashvili). The actors of this theatre, including TV producer Mamuka Glonti, Levan Lelashvili, Aleksandre Tetrashvili, Beso Berulashvili (comedian and actor of “Iumorina”), Tsutsa Kapanadze (actor at the Georgian Theatre in New York currently), Irakli Frangishvili, Irina Shakulashvili, Merab Sanodze (“Sano-Studio” founder and head”), Jaba Mgaloblishvili, and Levan Chikvaidze are the well-known satirical comedy group “Pa-Seansi.”
The theatre was in Malta in June 2022, when it took part in the international festival “EUROART MALTA 2022” and, as usual, successfully showed Lasha Tabukashvili’s “Spring is behind the bars” to the public.
The theatre maintains tight cultural-creative ties with the “Sandkorn Theatre” of Karlsruhe, Germany, and the Racine Theatre Guild of Wisconsin, USA.
Famous directors, like German Siegfried Krainer and American Norman McPhee, have performed productions in the theatre in different years.
The theatre successfully continues to stage performances commemorating GTU’s 100th anniversary in Georgian regions.