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Demonstrations with Slogan – Duta, Pub Clown, Go!

March 30, 2012

Nino Korashvili, Information Center of Kakheti

Actors and technical personnel of the Telavi Vazha Pshavela State Drama Theatre intend to hold protest demonstrations to request resignation of Duta Skhirtladze from the position of the theatre manager.

“We cannot get rid of him. They would have arrested anybody in his place because the theatre budget has been unreasonably wasted; nothing is happening here, the theatre is dead. The regional governor, Ministry of Culture, journalists, society – everybody has information about the present situation in the theatre but nothing has changed for better. The only way to assist the theatre is protest assemblies; maybe we will somehow manage to survive the theatre. We are going to sit in the entrance of the theatre until he [Duta Skhirtladze] is expelled from there,” the theatre actors told the ICK.

Late scenarist of the Telavi Theatre Baadur Balarjishvili invented the slogan for the protest assembly. He died short time ago. Besik Dugashvili painted the caricature of Duta Skhirtladze, which protesters intend to hang in the entrance of the Theatre upside down.

We kindly remind you that no performance has been staged in the Telavi State Theatre for the last few months. The theatre building is not supplied with water and natural gas; the landline communication and internet were also switched off. The Information Center of Kakheti published an article Telavi Theatre Is Paralyzed on March 9. “The theatre building is full of mess. He has killed and degraded the theatre. It has stopped functioning. No rehearsals, no performances, no manager. There is no heating in the building; the gas-supply was switched off last year. We requested to resume electricity supply and finally they did it. There is no landline communication and water in the building; he misappropriated our two-month salaries but then he mortgaged the theatre annual budget in the bank, took a loan and distributed our salaries. From the end of this month, we will not receive salaries of 4 months in future. The bank takes 900 GEL from the theatre budget for monthly fee. Gogi Chakvetadze is still director at the theatre but he [Duta] does not allow him to work. Chakvetadze obtained a grant but he seized it from him and gave to another person. I have not seen Duta for more than one year. I last saw him at the funeral of actor Avto Guliashvili. I do not know, maybe he arrived here in secret, but he has not called us to meeting and ask us anything. The theatre has had failures and success throughout its history but similar disaster has never happened before. I have been here for 42 years but do not remember anything like it happened for the last 2-3 years,” an actor of the Telavi Theatre Eldar Tavdidishvili told the ICK.

After the article about Telavi Theatre was published by the ICK on March 9, one of the media sources reported that Duta Skhirtladze had resigned but the Ministry of Culture did not confirm the information.

“The Ministry of Culture is authorized to appoint and dismiss manager of the Telavi Theatre. Duta Skhirtladze has not applied to the Ministry of Culture with the request to quit the manager’s position so far,” Tamuna Chikhladze, head of the Ministry’s press-center told the ICK.

Despite many attempts, the ICK could not get in touch with Duta Skhirtladze.

We kindly remind you that controversy between the Theatre Company Members and Duta Skhirtladze started about a year ago. The actors allege that after Duta Skhirtladze cursed actor Avtandil Guliashvili during the company session, the actor died in the theatre hall; the theatre director Gogi Chakvetadze and actor Vano Iantbelidze felt bad after the meeting. Chakvetadze was placed in the intensive therapy of the Telavi hospital. Duta Skhirtladze even threatened him with dismissal but later changed his mind and explained his statement by emotional excitement.

The Information Center of Kakheti carried out a poll on its website http://www.ick.ge/ with the question: Must Duta Skhirtladze quit the position of the Telavi Theatre Manager? 76,4% of respondents thinks that Duta Skhirtladze must resign.

639 people participated in the poll. 12.8% thinks that Duta Skhirtladze must not quit the position; 10.8 % could not answer the question.

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