Legend of Surami Fortress and Issues of its Literary and Stage Interpretations in the 80-90s of the 20th Century

Abstract

In the 80es of the 20th century, a strong foundation for the national movement was laid in Georgia. The question of a hero’s quest and purpose matured, reflected by Sergo Parajanov in his film “The Story of Surami Fortress”, seeking signs of the identity of epochs and establishing a legend about Surami Fortress as a myth. In 1989, theater director Mikheil Tumanishvili started working at the Film Actors Theater on Lasha Tabukashvili’s play “On the Ruins of a Temple”. The play is based on Surami Fortress legend. In Georgia of this period a breach between formal and informal parties started. Observing protest meetings, Mikheil Tumanishvili predicted a civil war and worked on a future performance determining a mission of a human that would bring the audience to the recognition of spiritual superiority. Spiritual transformations and changes of main characters of the play were to change the spectators too.