Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili Professional State Drama Theater

The first documented performance in Kutaisi was a production of Georgian playwright Giorgi Eristavi’s The Family Settlement performed by amateur actors on March 3rd, 1861. 

In 1880, a professional troupe was formed in Kutaisi with famous Georgian actor and director Kote Meskhi, as its leader. From 1894 until 1905, Georgian actor, director, and public figure Lado Aleksi-Meskhishvili was the leader of the Kutaisi Theatre. 

In 1928, a second, Kutaisi-Batumi State Theatre was founded under the leadership of the great Georgian director Kote Marjanishvili, in Kutaisi.

The theatre took on its current name in 1940, being renamed after Lado Meskhishvili, and in 1955, the new building - capable of holding 1,100 people - was opened. In 2008, a smaller 100-seat theatre and a museum displaying the theatre’s history were added.

As of 2022, the Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili Professional State Drama Theater is enjoying its 162nd season. For lovers of the theatrical arts, it is a must see.