August 19, 2012 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Men in leather vests sneer. Women with feather boas preen. Constant motion. No words. Welcome to Synetic Theater’s version of “The Taming of the Shrew,” the eighth work in its offbeat and acclaimed silent Shakespeare series.
Imagine Hamlet never uttering “To be, or not to be” or Lady Macbeth not crying “Out, damned spot!” Synetic’s founders, Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, did just that, believing their style of physical theater—a blend of pantomime, dance, acting, and acrobatics—sheds new light on some of the best-known plays in the world.
“There are so many ways to tell a story,” says Ms. Tsikurishvili, the company’s choreographer and often its lead actress. “We are psychologically showing the inside, what is going on in the human side, what they feel when they are not speaking.”
Praise and prizes have piled up for the action-packed productions staged by the Arlington, Va., group. Since its start in 2001, Synetic has received 24 local theater awards, and in 2010 the group won a $10,000 award from the American Theatre Wing, the nonprofit group that founded the Tony Awards.
In addition to its silent Shakespeare productions, Synetic produces plays with words, including “Home of the Soldier,” an original work by one of its company members that tells the story of a young man who joins the army after the disappearance of his father. The group also stages three children’s plays annually, runs a host of theater classes and camps, and performs in local schools, laying the groundwork for future audiences.
Synetic arose from the Tsikurishvilis’ roots as mimes and actors in their native Republic of Georgia, where they met in a theater company. After emigrating to the United States in 1995, they performed at festivals, children’s parties, and even in Russian restaurants while they built Synetic—a blend of the words synthesis and kinetic. The company is a family affair: In addition to Ms. Tsikurishvili’s role, Mr. Tsikurishvili is the artistic director and their 21-year-old son is a company member.
The group’s budget is $1.7-million, with about 40 percent coming from contributions, mainly from foundations and individuals, and the rest from ticket sales.
A November tour in the Republic of Georgia—the first time home for the Tsikurishvilis—is on the schedule, as well as a potential foray into filmmaking. And, Ms. Tsikurishvili hopes, an opportunity to put their stamp on more comedies.
“There are enough tragedies in this life,” she says. “I like comedy better because people walk away happy.”
Here, happiness abounds in a scene from “King Arthur,” a production The Washington Post called a “liquid spectacle” and a “rollicking treat.”
