Voyage Theater Compay Presents New Play By Georgian Writer Dato Turashvili

Voyage Theater Company/PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series will present a staged reading of Republic of Georgia by Georgian playwright/novelist Dato Turashvili, translated by Madonna Tkhelidze, directed by Adam Knight, at the 53rd Street New York Public Library (18 West 53rd Street, across the street from MoMA), Thu April 18 at 7pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public, but reservations are highly encouraged. Please RSVP here. The performance will run approximately 60 minutes with no intermission. There will be a brief talkback with the playwright and director immediately following the reading.

In 1921, as the Red Army prepares to invade the capital of newly independent Georgia, a group of politicians, dissidents, and ordinary citizens flee in a train bound for the port city of Batumi. Their journey reflects the regional differences, political fissures, and joy for living that makes Georgia at once unconquerable and hopelessly democratic. Will European powers and America intervene, or will another small country fall to Russian aggression?

The cast includes Sabrina Aziz, Mary Ruth Baggott, Masha Dakic, Logan Ernstthal, Philip Estrera, Khris Lewin, Ryan McCarthy, Michael Propster, Owen Scott, Allison Threadgold, and Leigh Williams.

Dato Turashvili (Playwright) is a Georgian author of novels, movie scripts, and plays. He studied literature, film, and art history at the universities of Tbilisi, London, and Madrid. Before Georgian independence in 1991, Dato was one of the leaders of the student protest movement against the Soviet regime. He has published 17 books, including his bestselling novel The Flight from the USSR, which has been translated into 14 languages. He has written plays for directors such as Robert Sturua, Eldar Shengelaia, and Gela Babluani. He has also translated prose and verse from the Russian, Spanish, and English languages. Dato is a host of a popular TV show in Georgia about literature. He is married to Maka Kekelidze and has three daughters - Anna-Mariam, Liza and Sofio.

Adam Knight (Director) is Producing Artistic Director of Riverside Theatre in Iowa City. For 14 years, he was co-Artistic Director of Slant Theatre Project, an Off-Off-Broadway company that produced more than two dozen world premieres, working with a large roster of emerging artists. Adam also served as Executive Director of Red Lab, an international collective led by Irina Gachechiladze dedicated to cultural diplomacy through art and performance. In 2017, Red Lab produced "The Georgian American Theatrical Feast," an NYC festival of plays and readings by playwrights from Georgia.

VOYAGE THEATER COMPANY presents new and unheralded plays and playwrights from around the world, creating opportunities for collaboration between theater-makers of diverse cultures and disciplines. We serve our local community in New York City through professional productions, educational programming, internships, and discounted tickets for students and seniors. We present plays in multiple languages, and work in partnership with other non-profit organizations to broaden perspectives and build greater cultural equity across communities.

PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.