Giorgi Eristavi State Theatre in Gori

The History of Gori Giorgi Eristavi State Theatre

Sometimes known as “Stage-Lovers Circle”, the Gori Theatre began putting on performances in a small hall of public assembly in the 1850s. These amateur performers produced various shows and did not shy away from including women in their business, which was unheard of for the Tbilisi stage at the time.

Gori Theatre itself, which is named after the great Georgian playwright, poet, and developer of Georgian theatre, Giorgi Eristavi, was founded a century later, in 1934. The building was completed later, in 1939.

The first play put on in Gori Theatre was Ioseb Gedevanishvili’s At the Pass, in 1940. Eighty years later, the theatre is still operational and puts together performances of numerous Georgian and foreign plays each year.

Gori Theatre also stands out for its architecture. It is an important cultural monument of Georgia. 

There are three stages in use in the colonnaded building. The largest has 400 seats, the smaller space has 123, and the experimental stage seats 80.

Seeing Gori Theatre and attending a performance by its theatre troupe will be an interesting experience for any theatre-lover.