In 2017, Mareike founded the children’s theatre company აიწონა დაიწონა (AITSONA DAITSONA) – together with the Georgian artists and activists Mariam Gabritchidze, Lili Mamulashvili and Nino Vashakidz. AITSONA DAITSONA is Georgia’s first emancipatory  theatre for children. Together with a team of actresses and actors and musicians, AITSONA DAITSONA is bringing new, emancipatory theatre plays for children to schools and communities centres all over Georgia. AITSONA DAITSONA is following the example of the renowned GRIPS Theater in Berlin. Two plays by GRIPS theatre’s founder Volker Ludwig are part of AITSONA DAITSONA’s repertoire and they were thrilled when Volker Ludwig came to visit them in Tbilisi in 2017.

The company is has four plays in their repertoire, all directed by Mareike – two adaptations of plays by Volker Ludwig  “სახლობანა” (original title “Mannomann”) and “შავი ნისლი” (original title “Dicke Luft“, a devised  play „თამაში“ (the game) and Alex Chigvinadze’s play „მზე შენია, ბარბოლ დოლოშ“ (The Sun is Yours, Barbol Dolash). So far, around 1500 children have seen their plays. Apart from performances at schools and community centres, they have also been invited to Tskaltubo Art Festival, Goethe Institute Tbilisi, Knowledge Cafe Tsnori, Silk Museum, Mzuri open air theatre and others. In 2017 and 2018 they received kind support from DVV International. The following years, projects were realised with kind support of Women’s Fund in Georgia, People in Need Georgia and the German Embassy to Georgia.

With their project “New Voices For Children Theatre“ started a campaign to encourage Georgian writers to write challenging new plays for children. This project set the beginning of their collaboration with the Georgian authors Alex Chigvinadze and Mariam Tchantchaleishivili. Together with children from Alkhalkalaki and Mestia the two authors wrote two new plays for Aitsona Daitsona. From February till May 2022, the authors and the Aitsona Daitsona visited the children at those two places, ran theatre and writing workshops with them, and discussed  topics and issues that the children wanted to see on stage. After the visits the authors wrote two new plays based on the input of the local children. The project was realised with the kind support of People in Need Georgia and in collaboration with LAG Upper Svaneti and Towards New Opportunities Mestia.

In October 2024, Alex Chigvinadze’s play „The Sun is Yours, Barbol Dolash“ finally saw its premiere in Mestia and was then toured through Georgia. 

Poster for „The Sun is Yours, Barbol Dolash”

 

 

 

 

For more information on the work of Aitsona Daitsona see  here

Here are some impression from the workshop in Akhalkalaki in frames of “New Voices For Children’s Theatre”

Images from the presentation of “New Voices For Children’s Theatre Award” at Goethe Institute Tbilisi