“This is our war too…as artists, we’re doing what we can to help.”
—Paata Tsikurishvili, Synetic Theater founder and Soviet-era refugee
Synetic Theater has announced Synetic Supports Ukraine, a benefit event on Friday, April 29. All proceeds from the event will benefit United Help Ukraine, a 501(c)(3) that provides humanitarian aid to those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Synetic Supports Ukraine will open with Prayer for Peace, a short concert of contemporary sacred vocal works by the artists of Lyrica Classic, a collective of Russian and American musicians. Following a brief intermission, Synetic Theater will present its current production of The Servant of Two Masters. (This April 29 benefit performance is in addition to the run of The Servant to Two Masters, April 6 through April 24.)
As refugees of post-Soviet-era aggression themselves, Synetic Theater founders Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili initiated and organized Synetic Supports Ukraine. The couple, along with their then-toddler son, fled Georgia and political persecution in 1994 during the fallout of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Both are products of Soviet-era upbringings and still have family ties in Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine. (Read the Tsikurishvili family’s story here.)
“Synetic Theater stands with the people of Ukraine and strongly supports Ukrainian sovereignty,” says co-founder Paata Tsikurishvili on behalf of the organization. “As the home of American Physical Theater, a wordless art form that communicates through movement, music, and visuals, Synetic is uniquely positioned to ‘speak’ across languages and communities.”
Additionally, Tsikurishvili penned this personal reflection:
The war in Ukraine far predates February 2022 and spans multiple regions and countries throughout Eastern Europe. Even before the 2014 annexation of Crimea, in 2008, Putin’s Russia invaded my and Ira’s home country, the Republic of Georgia, and currently occupies a fifth of our territory. What we see on television now is what Ira and I witnessed and personally experienced in the 1990s—all as the result of post-Soviet aggression and tyranny. Ukraine and Georgia once shared a border and still have much history in common, as two unjustly occupied former Soviet republics, which Vladimir Putin is now trying to recapture. The Ukrainians fought side by side with us in the ’90s and in 2008, and this is why thousands of Georgians have now joined the Ukrainians in their heroic struggle against Putin’s form of mass terrorism, the worst we’ve seen on the European continent since World War II. If Ukraine goes down, Georgia is next. It’s a house of cards, and when it collapses, sooner or later it will affect us all. Democracy and freedom across the globe will suffer. As artists, we’re doing what we can to help. Synetic, after all, is a company not just of immigrants, but refugees, with members from all over the world. We understand what’s going on and can feel it. So this is our war too, our fight, and we’re joining it in the best way we know how. There’s no other choice.
In addition to the benefit event on April 29, after every performance of The Servant of Two Masters, Synetic Theater will collect donations in support of United Help Ukraine.
Synetic Supports Ukraine: A Benefit will be hosted Friday, April 29, 2022, at 8 p.m., at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets ($45–$100) are available online. All proceeds support United Help Ukraine.
Running Time: Approximately two hours 15 minutes, including one intermission.
PROGRAM INFORMATION & CREDITS
A Prayer for Peace, presented by Lyrica Classic
Ave Maria, Eli Tamar, composer
Lord’s Prayer, Eli Tamar, composer
Prayer for Peace in Ukraine, Eli Tamar, composer
Cantata for Peace, Serge Khrichenko, composer and guitar
Featuring: Yulia Petrachuk, soprano; Laura Snyderman, soprano; Aryssa Leigh Burrs, mezzo-soprano, Tatiana Loisha, piano
INTERMISSION
Synetic Theater’s The Servant to Two Masters
Vato Tsikurishvili, director and adaptor
Maryam Najafzada, choreographer
Konstantine Lortkipanidze, resident Composer
Mistaken identities, wily servants, and madcap antics abound in this laugh-a-minute tale of the ultimate trickster.
CAST: Delbis Cardona, Philip Fletcher*, Pablo Guillen, Irene Hamilton*, Maryam Najafzada*, Nutsa Tediashvili*, Jacob Thompson, and Vato Tsikurishvili*. *Denotes Synetic Theater Company member.
PRODUCTION CREDITS: Phil Charlwood, scenic design; Aleksandr Shiriaev, costume design; Brian Allard, lighting design; Yaritza Pacheco, sound design; Emily Carbone, props design; Natalie Wagner, stage manager.
About Synetic Theater
Founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, Synetic Theater is a center for American Physical Theater, fusing dynamic art forms such as text, drama, movement, acrobatics, dance, and original music. Synetic has received a total of 143 Helen Hayes Award nominations and 34 awards, including for directing, choreography, acting, costume design, and best production. Visit synetictheater.org for more information.
About Lyrica Classic
Lyrica Classic is dedicated to bringing new and previously unknown music to the stage for the advancement of the classical music art form and the enrichment of culture through classical music creations. Driven by the mission to unite nations through music, Lyrica Classic provides a unique opportunity for the audiences to experience new American sacred music in the concert program Prayer for Peace. Visit lyricaclassic.org for more information.
About United Help Ukraine
United Help Ukraine is a charitable nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that receives and distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to Ukrainian IDPs (internally displaced people), people of Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion, and families of those who have been wounded or killed defending the freedom and independence of Ukraine. The all-volunteer group was started in 2014, after the Russian attack on Ukraine, by a small group of people who met at a protest in Washington, DC. Over the course of eight years, the grassroots organization has developed strong working relationships with Ukrainian NGOs, hospitals, and other organizations, as well as trusted partners in American suppliers and logistical companies, enabling United Help Ukraine to deliver help quickly and with minimal friction. Visit unitedhelpukraine.org for more information.
COVID Safety: Masks and proof of vaccination are required. Synetic Theater’s complete COVID-19 Safety Protocols are here.
SEE ALSO:
Theater J and Mosaic Theater partner to aid Ukrainian charities April 28
