Our Story
Mission
Synetic redefines theater by blending innovative stage movement techniques, investing in artists’ growth, and creating unforgettable, visceral experiences for every audience.
Vision
To become an internationally renowned physical theater company, producing work that creates cultural diplomacy, uplifts its community, and provides entertainment and enrichment to people of all ages and from all walks of life.
Values
Embrace our identity as an immigrant-founded organization whose art form is multicultural, universal, and transcends any one language.
Elevate artistry through highly professional and original productions and our unique approach to storytelling, which has been developed and refined over the last 25 years. We are constantly exploring our craft, evolving as international leaders in physical theater, and pushing the boundaries of design, athleticism, and emotional honesty.
Build a family and international ensemble of driven and passionate individuals who support and motivate each other while overcoming challenges, pushing our limits, and producing high-quality work.
Promote diversity by thoughtfully welcoming and celebrating people of different cultures, races, nationalities, ethnicities, ages, body types, gender identities, and skill sets who are united in their motivation and inspiration to collaborate, practice, and develop Synetic’s craft.
Stimulate audiences by crafting stories that emotionally connect with our audiences – challenging, provoking, and entertaining them through visceral theatrical experiences that stir their consciousness and imagination.
What’s in a name?
SYNthesis: Combining distinct elements to form a whole
KinETIC: Pertaining to or imparting motion: active, dynamic, energetic
SYNETIC: A dynamic synthesis of the arts
Want to know more? Take a look at Synetic’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.
Synetic Theater emerged from the creative vision of co-founders Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, who emigrated from the former Soviet country of Georgia in 1995. Trained in dance, theatre, and film, the Tsikurishvilis combine traditions of the Caucasus with distinctly American styles to tell classic stories through movement, music, technology, and visual arts. Synetic made its artistic debut in 2002, with its first wordless Shakespeare production, Hamlet… the rest is silence, which earned three Helen Hayes Awards: Outstanding Resident Play, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Director.
Synetic would go on to win dozens more Helen Hayes Awards out of scores of nominations, recognition from the American Theatre Wing, and the honor of “Washingtonians of the Year” from Washingtonian magazine for Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili. Unique in the U.S. for its signature stagings of classic literature, folktales, and devised works, the company has established itself as the Washington D.C. area’s premier physical theater company, building its work in a series of permanent homes: the historic Church Street Theater from 2001 to 2003, the Rosslyn Spectrum from 2003 to 2011, and the Crystal City Underground from 2011 to 2024.
Synetic produces two to three main stage productions and one to two family series productions per season, while also running extensive professional and pre-professional training programs and a wide array of youth theater classes and camps, conducting community outreach programs and partnerships throughout the region, and touring world-class family and main stage productions locally and internationally.
For millennia, the Republic of Georgia has stood at the crossroads of empires. Positioned between East and West, it has endured conquest, occupation, and violence from some of history’s most powerful forces. That long struggle shaped a culture fiercely committed to self-determination.
By 1989, that fight had surged into the streets. Paata Tsikurishvili was then dividing his days between his studies at Tbilisi’s University of Film and Stage and his work as a professional actor at the Pantomime Theater. From there, he watched crowds stream past in ever-growing numbers, calling for an end to communism. He soon joined a large hunger strike outside the Georgian Parliament, where protesters demanded independence, free elections, and liberation from Soviet control.
The strike helped force Georgia’s first free election. But the Soviet Union refused to accept the country’s independence. Tanks and soldiers arrived to crush the movement, and Paata and his friends were suddenly pushed into armed resistance.
Even in that volatile period, Paata and his wife, dancer-actress Irina “Ira” Kvetenadze, held onto hope and defiance. Their son Vato was born in 1991. Within months, however, ordinary life collapsed. Soviet authorities cut off gas and electricity, leaving the country in freezing darkness. With no running water, Ira carried her infant down nine flights of stairs to collect snow, then climbed back up with a bucket in one hand and her baby in the other so she could boil water for the family.
While Ira fought to keep their child fed and warm, Paata fought simply to survive. Local police forces devolved into corrupt militias. Soviet troops moved through the streets. Former guerrilla units splintered into rival gangs and turned on one another. Paata remembers friends being shot while he held them. Ira remembers stepping over bodies in the street. Vato’s earliest memories are of hunger and gunfire.
As men became targets in the violence, Paata sought refuge in Germany with the Pantomime Theater. In 1995, he gathered his family and escaped to the United States.
They arrived in the Washington, D.C. area with no English and few resources. Paata and Ira performed on the street, passing a hat so they could buy food. To learn the language, they memorized lines from plays and eventually helped establish the Stanislavsky Theater Studio in the late 1990s.
As a home to nearly 200 embassies and international cultural centers, Washington, D.C. is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. Yet nothing like the Tsikurishvilis’ work existed in the region, and it quickly drew notice. After only a handful of performances, it became clear that Paata and Ira’s distinct theatrical language needed a company of its own. In 2001, the same year their daughter Anna was born, they founded Synetic Theater, a name created from “synthesis” and “kinetic,” reflecting their fusion of movement, drama, music, and visual storytelling.
Synetic quickly became a defining presence in the Washington theater community, creating dozens of original works and earning numerous awards, including dozens of Helen Hayes Awards from scores of nominations thus far. Vato has carried the family legacy forward as a commanding performer and director, and his sister Anna is also heavily involved with the company, having appeared in numerous productions.
Through Synetic, these Georgian-born artists have built more than a theater. They have offered a creative home to an international ensemble and given some of the country’s leading costume, projection, scenic, and lighting designers a bold artistic playground. Many artists have remained with the company for years, even decades.
Synetic’s repertory includes major classical works as well as international stories rarely, if ever, seen by American audiences. The company has become a landmark in American theater, recognized for its physical intensity, emotionally grounded storytelling, and striking visual imagination.
Since its founding in 2001, Synetic Theater has earned consistent critical and audience acclaim. Its many accolades include a 2010 grant from the New York Theatre Wing, recognizing Synetic as a top emerging theatre company. In 2013, Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili were named Washingtonians of the Year by Washingtonian magazine.
Synetic has also received dozens of Helen Hayes Awards—Washington’s top theatre honor and one of the leading theatre awards in the country. A full list of awards and nominations appears below.
Helen Hayes Awards and Nominations
2026
- Winner, Outstanding Production of a Play, The Immigrant
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography in Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play, Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Paata Tsikurishvili and Nathan Weinberger, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, Vato Tsikurishvili, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, Maryam Najafzada, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Koki Lortkipanidze and Irakli Kavsadze, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Musical Direction, Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Erik Teague, The Immigrant
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus
2025
- Nomination, Outstanding Production of a Play, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Brian S. Allard, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Hamlet… the rest is silence
2024
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Winner, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Nathan Weinberger, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Golden Fish
- Nomination, Outstanding Musical Direction, Iraki Kavsadze and Koki Lortkipanidze, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Erik Teague, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Evgenia L. Salazar, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Golden Fish
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Brian S. Allard, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design, Daniel Pinha, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Brandon Cook, The Tell-Tale Heart
- Nomination, Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Golden Fish
- Nomination, Outstanding Production of a Play, The Tell-Tale Heart
2023
- Winner, Outstanding Production of a Play, Host and Guest
- Winner, Outstanding Sound Design, Irakli Kavsadze and Koki Lortkipanidze, Host and Guest
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina and Vato Tsikurishvili, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Maryam Najafzada, The Servant of Two Masters
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Kendra Rai, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Ian Claar, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Brian S. Allard, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Yaritza Pacheco, The Servant of Two Masters
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, Nutsa Tediashvili, The Servant of Two Masters
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, Vato Tsikurishvili The Servant of Two Masters
- Nomination, Outstanding Direction in a Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Direction in a Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Direction in a Play, Vato Tsikurishvili, The Servant of Two Masters
- Nomination, Outstanding Production of a Play, The Servant of Two Masters
2020
- Winner, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play, Matt Stover, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Alison Samantha Johnson, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Brian S. Allard, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Direction in a Play, Vato Tsikurishvili, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play, Vato Tsikurishvili, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play, Maryam Najafzada, Cyrano de Bergerac
- Nomination, Outstanding Production of a Play, Cyrano de Bergerac
2019
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Sleepy Hollow
- Winner, Outstanding Costume Design in a Play, Erik Teague, The Trial
- Winner, Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play, Brian S. Allard, Titus Andronicus
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Trial
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Nathan Weinberger, Sleepy Hollow
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design in a Play, Erik Teague, Sleepy Hollow
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play, Brian S. Allard, The Trial
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design in a Play, Daniel Pinha, The Trial
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play, Ryan Tumulty, The Trial
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Tori Bertocci, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Nomination, Outstanding Production for Young Audiences, My Father’s Dragon
2018
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina and Vato Tsikurishvili, The Adventures of Peter Pan
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Kendra Rai, The Adventures of Peter Pan
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Nathan Weinberger, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2017
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Ben Cunis and Irina and Vato Tsikurishvili, The Man in the Iron Mask
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Erik Teague, The Man in the Iron Mask
2016
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Ben Cunis and Irina Tsikurishvili, Much Ado About Nothing
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Much Ado About Nothing
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Vato Tsikurishvili, Much Ado About Nothing
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Kendra Rai, Alice in Wonderland
2015
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Twelfth Night
- Winner, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Kendra Rai, The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili and Ben Cunis, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Irina Kavsadze, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Alex Mills, Three Men in a Boat (To say nothing of the dog)
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Ben Cunis, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Thomas Sowers and Konstantine Lortkipanidze, The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Thomas Sowers and Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Brittany Diliberto and Riki K., The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Kendra Rai, Beauty and the Beast
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Kendra Rai, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design, Resident Play, Phil Charlwood, The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography in a Play, Irina Tskikurishvili, Beauty and the Beast
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Twelfth Night
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Ben and Peter Cunis, Beauty and the Beast
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Nathan Weinberger and Lloyd Rose, The Island of Dr. Moreau
- Nomination, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation, Derek Goldman, Three Men in a Boat (To say nothing of the dog)
- Nomination, Outstanding Production of a Play, Twelfth Night
2014
- Winner, Outstanding Movement, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili and Ben Cunis, The Three Musketeers
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Andrew F. Griffin, The Tempest
2012
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, King Lear
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Ben Cunis and Irina Tsikurishvili, King Lear
- Winner, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Konstantine Lortkipanidze and Irakli Kavsadze, King Lear
- Winner, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Andrew F. Griffin, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design, Resident Play, Phil Charlwood, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Georgi Alexi-Meskhishvili, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Mirenka Cechová, King Lear
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Ben Cunis, King Lear
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Chris Dinolfo, King Lear
- Nomination, James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Philip Fletcher, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Irina Koval, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, King Lear
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze, King Lear
2011
- Winner, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Othello
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Othello
- Winner, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Anastasia R. Simes, Othello
- Winner, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, The Master and Margarita
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, Antony and Cleopatra
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze and Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Othello
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili and Ben Cunis, King Arthur
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Othello
- Nomination, Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Play, Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Othello
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Philip Fletcher, Othello
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Alex Mills, Othello
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, The Master and Margarita
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, The Master and Margarita
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, Othello
2010
- Winner, Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Golden Fish
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Andrew F. Griffin, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Konstantine Lortkipanidze, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Dante
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Dante
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili and Ben Cunis, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Alex Mills, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2009
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili, Carmen
- Winner, Outstanding Director, Paata Tsikurishvili, Resident Play, Romeo and Juliet
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Romeo and Juliet
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Romeo and Juliet
- Nomination, Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Play, Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design, Resident Play, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Romeo and Juliet
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze and Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Romeo and Juliet
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Carmen
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, Romeo and Juliet
2008
- Winner, Outstanding Resident Play, Macbeth
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Macbeth
- Winner, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Macbeth
- Winner, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili and Irakli Kavsadze, Macbeth
- Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Philip Fletcher, Macbeth
- Winner, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Fall of the House of Usher
- Nomination, Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Play, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Macbeth
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Irakli Kavsadze, Macbeth
- Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Macbeth
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, Macbeth
- Nomination, Outstanding Set Design, Resident Play, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Macbeth
- Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Salma Qarnain, Macbeth
2007
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Frankenstein
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Dybbuk
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Faust
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Frankenstein
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, The Dybbuk
- Nomination, Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Play, Colin K. Bills, Frankenstein
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili and Irakli Kavsadze, Frankenstein
- Nomination, Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play, Frankenstein
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, Frankenstein
2006
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Dracula
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Jason and the Argonauts
2005
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Master and Margarita
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, The Crackpots
2004
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Salome
2003
- Winner, Outstanding Resident Play, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Winner, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Winner, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Hamlet… the rest is silence
- Nomination, Outstanding Choreography, Resident Play, Irina Tsikurishvili, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili, Host and Guest
- Nomination, Outstanding Resident Play, Host and Guest