From the history of theater architecture of the 19th century (summer theatres and the theatres of the bank of nobility in Tiflis)

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to study the buildings of the Summer and Noble Bank Theatres in Tbilisi, which no longer exist today, and to “reconstruct” them from the archive materials (drawings, offi cial correspondence, photographs, maps, etc.) that we have found in the archives, museums and repositories of Georgia. Also on the basis of the information contained in the press of the time and various periodical editions.

The Summer Theatre of Tiflis

In the 1870s Tbilisi had theatre buildings in European style: the Caravansarai Theatre of Tamamshev (1847-1851, architect Giovanni Scudieri) in Jerivan Square, the so-called Karavansarai Theatre and the Summer Theatre in the Garden of the Engineering Authority. The architect Albet Salzmann (1833-1897) was commissioned to design the building project of the summer theatre. The place of construction was chosen at the crossroads of the Engineering Road and the Water Carrier Road (today Simon Virsaladze and Marie-Brosset Streets) on the right side of the river in the garden of the Engineering Offi ce. The framing for this theatre building can be seen on 19th century Tbilisi city plans. The work on the construction project was to begin in 1869. The construction works were quite intensive. In this way the new summer theatre next to the Karavansarai Theatre was built and opened in a short time, with modern infrastructure, framed by the beautiful garden. The Italian opera troupe and the troupe of the Russian drama theatre operated in this building. Later on, the Georgian drama troupe was also present. The original building of the summer theatre was made of wood, the auditorium with parquet fl ooring, in the fi rst tier 2 boxes, in the second tier 23 boxes... The balcony was surrounded by a wide corridor with 12 carved doors. The door of the upper tier went to an open balcony, the door of the lower tier - directly to the garden. The theatre hall was painted by the decorator Knoll. The theatre was directly connected to the garden. The summer theatre was characterised by naturalness and pleasant simplicity. This theatre represented the second theatre building (after the Karavansarai Theatre) in the capital of Georgia.

The Karavansarai Theatre burnt down in 1874. Therefore the summer theatre wasdoubly burdened. In order for the building to be suitable for the winter, additional walls and stoves were added.

The construction of the opera house was completed in 1896. The summer theatre gradually lost its importance. Already at the end of the 19th century it was named the Old State Theatre. On the Tbilisi city map from 1903-1904 (the 1906 entry) the summer theatre is no longer to be found. Apparently it must have functioned until 1906.

Tbilisi’s summer theatre played an important role in the theatre life of the 19th century. World famous musicians, singers, conductors, opera and theatre actors performed here. Fyodor Shaljapin began his singing career on this stage. His opera “Mazepa” was performed in the presence of P. Tshaikovsky, and the famous musician and composer A. Rubinstein gave concerts on this stage. The activity of the composer M. Ipolitov-Ivanov is connected with this theatre. On the stage of the Summer Theatre Georgian actors became great artists: V. Abashidze, L. Alexi-Meskhishvili, K. Marjanishvili and others. The theatre play “Fatherland” by D. Eristavi was fi rst staged here. The fi rst theatre performance of the renewed and permanent Georgian theatre troupe (1879) took place in the summer theatre of Tbilisi.

The next stage in the history of Georgian professional theatre is already connected with the Theatre of the Noble Bank. This theatre building has not reached our time either.

The Theatre of the Noble Bank in Tiflis

The Theatre of the Noble Bank in Tifl is was located on the site where the State A. Griboedov Drama Theatre in Tbilisi has its seat - at Rustaveli Avenue, no. 2/4. This route - from Freedom Square to the Palace of Youth - was called “Palace Street” since the 1860s. The theatre was located in the Karavansarai building and has been reconstructed several times over the years. After the G. Scudieri Theatre, the fusion of the theatre building with the Karavansarai Theatre is the second precedent in the history of theatre architecture in Tbilisi and in Georgia in general.

The project of the Noble Bank Theatre is connected with the names of many famous architects and theatre makers who have worked in Tbilisi. The theatre has been rebuilt four times in four decades. Starting in the second half of the 19th century, the building process continued in the 20th century, and the last reconstruction was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1914 the theatre burned down.

Its history began in 1878, and the fi rst private theatre was opened in 1879 in a part of the Karavansarai building, which was rebuilt into a theatre hall by the architect Adolf von Skojan. It was a two-storey, semi-circular theatre, the stalls had 250 seats, 11 tier boxes and an “Olymp” with 100 seats. The building was bought by the Noble bank, which is why it was also called the “Noble Bank Theatre”.

In 1887 the nobility bank commissioned Paul Stern with a new theatre project. He already had experience in theatre architecture: he supervised (until 1882) the construction of the opera house. He was the author of the Borjomi Summer Theatre project (1895). His name is among the authors of the theatre project “Artists Society” at the end of the 19th century in Tbilisi.

After the project of P. Stern the following changes were made: The auditorium, which originally had 400 seats, was transformed into a theatre room with almost 800 seats. The semicircular shape of the hall was replaced by an elongated rectangular shape with long corridors, Baignoire and Beletage boxes, which had not existed before. Apart from the parquet fl ooring, there was also a gallery similar to the amphitheatre. The reconstruction also aff ected the exterior and the building now had the appearance of a typical theatre building.

The noble bank theatre was later reconstructed in 1901 and 1906-1908. The author of the last reconstruction was Christophor Ter Sarkisov-Satunz (1875-1917). It is already a theatre building in the Empire style. The auditorium had two ranges, also the hall had a deep box-like stage. The hall was surrounded by the Baignoire and Beletage boxes, had a deep orchestra pit and a gallery. This theatre is considered a well-known example of 19th century rank theatre.

For almost 35 years, the building of the Noble Bank Theatre was the headquarters of the permanent Georgian theatre company. A theatre that played an important role in the history of Tbilisi and Georgian culture in general in the 19th and 20th centuries.