Synetic Theater is a non-profit physical theater company located in the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. It performs at the Crystal City Theatre in Crystal City in

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. Since its founding in 2001, its productions have received numerous

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

History

Founded in 2001, Synetic Theater began as an artistic subgroup within the now defunct Stanislavsky Theater Studio which performed at the Church Street Theater in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the result of an artistic split by the husband and wife team of Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili from Andrei Malaev-Babel, the other co-head of The Stanislavsky Theater Studio. In April 2002, the theatre made its artistic debut with a wordless adaptation of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', known as ''Hamlet…the rest is silence''. The production was remounted the following season, receiving the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Resident Play, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director. Despite the artistic split, Synetic Theater and The Stanislavsky Theater Studio continued to share resources and performance space into the following season. In 2003, after a series of disagreements over financial matters, Synetic set off on its own. The following year, in 2004, Synetic merged with Classika Theater, a children's theater in

Shirlington, Virginia Shirlington is an unincorporated urban area, officially called an "urban village", in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, United States, adjacent to the Fairlington area. The word "Shirlington" is a combination of "Shirley" (fr ...

. In 2014, Synetic co-founders Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili were honored as Washingtonians of the Year by '' Washingtonian'' magazine for their contributions to the Washington theater community. I n 2010, the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

awarded Synetic with their National Theatre Company Grant.

Facilities

SyneticTheaterCrystalCityArlingtonVirginia

The Synetic Theater's offices and administrative spaces are located at 2155 Crystal Plaza Arcade in

Crystal City, Virginia Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, approximately south of Downtown (Washington, D.C.), Downtown Washington, D.C. Due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential h ...

, in

. Until 2010, Synetic performed most of its shows in the Arlington County-run Rosslyn Spectrum. In September 2010, it moved into the Crystal City Theatre space outfitted by the Arena Stage after the Arena Stage moved back to its newly renovated spaces in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Between 2006–2010, it performed one show each spring in the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

. In the 2009–2010 season, it produced the premiers of its "Silent Shakespeare" series at the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...

's Lansburgh Theatre. With the company's move to Crystal City, the relationship with the

and the Lansburgh Theatre ended.

Productions

2015-2016

*''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'', September 30 - November 8, 2015 *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'', December 9, 2015 – January 17, 2016 *''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''^†, February 17 - March 27, 2016 *'' The Man in the Iron Mask'', May 11 - June 19, 2016 *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''^†, July 13 - August 7, 2016 :^† Remounted

2014-2015

*''

The Island of Doctor Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was published on 1 January 1896. The novel is set between 1 February 1887 and 5 January 1888. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Pr ...

'', October 1 - November 2, 2014 *''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', December 3, 2014 – January 4, 2015 *''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'', February 11 - March 15, 2015 *''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'', May 13 - June 14, 2015 *''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''^†, July 15 - August 9, 2015 :^† Remounted

2013-2014

*''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American period ...

'', September 26, 2013 — November 3, 2013 *''

'', January 9, 2014 — February 16, 2014 *''Hamlet ... the rest is silence''^†, March 13, 2014 — April 6, 2014 *''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

'', May 8, 2014 — June 8, 2014

2012-2013

*''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...

'', September 20 — October 21, 2012 *''

A Trip to the Moon ''A Trip to the Moon'' ( , ) is a 1902 French science-fiction adventure trick film written, directed, and produced by Georges Méliès. Inspired by the Jules Verne novel ''From the Earth to the Moon'' (1865) and its sequel '' Around the Moon ...

'', December 6, 2012 — January 6, 2013 *''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'', February 21 — March 24, 2013 *''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'', May 9 — June 9, 2013 *''

''^†, July 24 - August 4, 2013 :^† Remounted

2011-2012

*Speak No More: Silent Shakespeare Festival **''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

''^†, September 14 – October 2, 2011 at Crystal City **''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

''^†, October 19 – November 6, 2011 at Crystal City **''

''^†, November 25 – December 23, 2011 at Crystal City *New Movements – New Works, New Artists Festival **''Genesis Reboot'', February 9 – March 3, 2012 at Crystal City **''The Voice of Anne Frank'', March 14 and March 19, 2012 at Crystal City *''

The Taming of The Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'', March 31 – April 22, 2012 at the Lansburgh Theatre *''Home Of The Soldier'', May 23 – July 1, 2012 at Crystal City^† Remounted

2010-2011

* ''

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

'', September 30 – October 31, 2010 at Crystal City * ''

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...

''^†, November 11 – December 12, 2010 at the Lansburgh Theatre * ''

''^†, January 25–30, 2011 at Crystal City * ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', March 24 – April 24, 2011 at the Lansburgh Theatre * ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'', June 2 – July 3, 2011 at Crystal City ^† Remounted

2009–2010

* ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''^†, September 17 – October 10, 2009 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''Dracula''^†, October 16 – November 15, 2009 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''Antony and Cleopatra'', January 28 – February 28, 2010 at Lansburgh Theatre * ''Metamorphosis'', April 9 – May 22, 2010 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''Othello'', June 3 – July 3, 2010 at The John F. Kennedy Center :^† Remounted

2008–2009

* '' Host and Guest''^†, September 26 – November 9, 2008 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

'', February 6 – March 22, 2009 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', ) is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city ...

'', March 27 – April 5, 2009 at Georgetown University, April 11–26, 2009 at Rosslyn Spectrum * ''

'', May 28 – June 15, 2009 at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

. Since many of Synetic's company members were from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, ''Host and Guest'' was remounted in reaction to the

Russian invasion of Georgia The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia,Occasionally, the war is also referred to by other names, such as the Five-Day War and August War. was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the ...

in August 2008. The production replaced the originally scheduled stage adaptation of the vintage horror film ''

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' () is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. The quintessential work of early German Expressionist cinema, it tells the story of an insane hypno ...

'' :^† Remounted

Significant events

In 2010, Synetic Theater moved to the Crystal City Theatre in

. Synetic Theater was invited to perform in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. Remount performances of ''King Lear'' and ''Host and Guest'' were presented at the

Rustaveli Theatre Rustaveli National Theatre ( ka, რუსთაველის ეროვნული თეატრი) is the largest and one of the oldest theaters of Georgia, located in its capital Tbilisi on Rustaveli Avenue. Housed in an ornate Rococo-st ...

3-19 Nov 2012. The tour was supported by the U.S. Department of State, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. In 2013, Synetic raised funds for new studio space in Crystal City near the theater space. The studio has 3 classrooms that can be used for camps, classes and rehearsal space as well as a green room and a reception area. In 2014, Synetic Theater produced its 10th "silent Shakespeare" adaptation "Twelfth Night." Also in 2014, Synetic Theater's production of

was invited to the 10th Festival Internacional in Chihuahua, Mexico. Subsequently, they also performed at Teatro Victor Hugo Rascon Banda, Juarez, Mexico.

Significant past productions

Silent Shakespeare series

Synetic is noted for performing well known Shakespeare plays without words. Hours long plays are pared to 90 minutes of highly stylized dance, movement, acrobatics, pantomime, music and story without a word being spoken. In a letter to patrons in a program, Michael Kahn, the Artistic Director of the

, says, "Synetic's signature blend of music, movement, and dance represents a novel approach to Shakespeare" In the Directors Notes of ''The Tempest'' program Paata Tsisurishvili stated "Since our first production in 2002, I have often been asked, without the language, is what we do ''really Shakespeare''? I believe it is. Since Shakespeare has been translated into multiple languages, his words having found multiple expressions and becoming a truly universal institution in the process, we believe the language of movement is no less valid method of exploring his work than any other. As Shakespeare himself painted with words, we attempt to paint his words with our images, offering an archetypical Shakespeare that we know, as one reviewer put it, 'in our bones'" Productions are regularly remounted in the years following their initial production. The series includes the following well reviewed and award-winning productions: ^{^} – Helen Hayes Award Winner ^† – Named one of the year's "10 best" by the Washington Post In January 2011 ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was remounted by invitation at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in Williamstown, MA,

Classic Literature series

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' named ''Host and Guest'' as one of the ten best performances of the decade. The

Harriman Institute The Harriman Institute, the first academic center in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of Russia and the Soviet Union, was founded at Columbia University in 1946, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, as the Russi ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

requested its presentation it at the university's

Miller Theatre Miller Theatre at Columbia University is located on the Morningside Heights, Manhattan, Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University. It is a performing arts producer dedicated to developing and presenting new music. Originally named the ...

Awards

Overall, Synetic has earned a large number of Helen Hayes Nominations and won many

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They are ...

s in ten seasons. Most of the awards have been for its wordless Shakespearean repertoire. Its more prestigious awards include: * 2012 Outstanding Sound Design/original music, Resident Production, Konstantine Lortkipanidze, ''King Lear'' . * 2012 Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Ben Cunis, Irina Tsikurishvili ''King Lear''. * 2012 Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, ''King Lear''. * 2011 Outstanding Director: Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, ''Othello''. * 2011 The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, ''Othell''. * 2011 Outstanding Costume Designer: Resident Play, Anastasia Simes, ''Othello''. * 2011 Outstanding Lighting Design: Resident Play, Colin Bills, ''Master & Margarita''. * 2010 The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. * 2009 The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, ''Romeo and Juliet''. * 2009 Outstanding Director: Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, ''Romeo and Juliet''. * 2009 Outstanding Choreography: Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, ''Carmen''. * 2008 Outstanding Resident Play, ''Macbeth''. * 2008 The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, ''Hamlet … the rest is silence''. * 2008 Outstanding Director: Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, ''Macbeth''. * 2008 Outstanding Choreography: Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, ''Macbeth''. * 2008 Outstanding Sound Design: Resident Production, Paata Tsikurishvili, iriakli kavsadze ''Macbeth''. * 2008 Outstanding Supporting Actor: Resident Production, Phillip Fletcher, ''Macbeth''. * 2007 Outstanding Choreography: Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, ''Frankenstein''. * 2005 Outstanding Choreography: Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, ''The Master and Margarita''. * 2003 Outstanding Resident Play, ''Hamlet … the rest is silence''. * 2003 Outstanding Director: Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, ''Hamlet … the rest is silence''. * 2003 Outstanding Choreography: Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, ''Hamlet … the rest is silence''.

Other items of note

The name ''Synetic'' was coined by founding artistic director Paata Tsikurishvili from the words Synthesis (the coming together of distinct elements to form a whole) and Kinetic (pertaining to or imparting motion; active ... dynamic ...) yielding "''Synetic Theater – a Dynamic Synthesis of the Arts''" Synetic Theater is a member of the League of Washington Theaters (LOWT).

References

External links

* {{coord, 38.856857, -77.049485, display=title Theatre companies in Washington, D.C. Theatre companies in Virginia Regional theatre in the United States Theatres in Virginia Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington League of Washington Theatres 2001 establishments in Washington, D.C. Theatres in Washington, D.C. Arts organizations established in 2001