March 14, 2025 - March 23, 2025

Synetic premieres The Immigrant, a new project from Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili based on the classic 1918 silent comedy. It is a simple, comedic story about the arrival of a new immigrant in turn of the 20th-century New York, with all the trials, adventure, mishaps, and high hopes of the American immigrant journey. As a theater founded, led, and populated by immigrant artists, Synetic considers this the perfect time and opportunity to adapt, expand, and develop its own version of story, bringing its adept physical comedy, innovative style, and great heart to the legacy of this cinema classic.

ALSO PLAYING AT THEATER J (WASHINGTON, DC) 
Apr 11 – Apr 27

Buy tickets at Theater J

Cast

Paata Tsikurishvili

Paata Tsikurishvili

The Immigrant

A native of the Republic of Georgia, Paata is an innovative, award-winning international artistic director, director and educator with more than 30 years of experience fusing the classical elements of drama, movement, dance, pantomime and music. Since Synetic Theater’s founding in 2001, Mr. Tsikurishvili has received multiple Helen Hayes Awards and nominations, for directing, sound design, and adaptation. Together with his wife and Synetic co-founder Irina, he was named “Washingtonian of the Year” in 2013. Mr. Tsikurishvili has directed and performed in Hamlet … the rest is silence, The Master and Margarita, The Crackpots, Dracula, Host and Guest, Frankenstein, and The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Immigrant. He has directed over 60 productions including Salomé, Bohemians, Jason and the Argonauts, The Dybbuk, Faust, Frankenstein, Macbeth, Animal Farm, The Fall of the House of Usher, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Dante, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello, King Arthur, King Lear, Don Quixote, Twelfth Night, Much Ado about Nothing, The Three Musketeers, Alice in Wonderland, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, As You Like It, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sleepy Hollow, and The Immigrant, among many others. Synetic’s inaugural production, Hamlet… the rest is silence, received three Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Director, Outstanding Resident Play, and Outstanding Choreography. As an educator, Mr. Tsikurishvili has trained hundreds of actors in movement technique through Synetic Theater and has taught at leading universities such as American University, the Catholic University of America, and Georgetown University. Before moving to the United States he co-founded Mimodrama Theater in Germany and has toured worldwide. Paata holds an MFA in film directing from Tbilisi State University and a BFA in acting from The State Institute of Theater and Film in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Vato Tsikurishvili

Little Fellow

Maryam Najafzada

Hetty

Stella Bunch

Hetty's Sister

Philip Fletcher

The Producer

Natan-Maël Gray

Ensembler/Understudy Little Fellow

Lev Belolipetski

Ensemble

Nutsa Tediashvili

Ensemble

Chris Galindo

Ensemble

Joshua Cole Lucas

Ensemble

Camille Pivetta

Understudy Hetty's Sister/Ensemble

Rodin Alcerro

Understudy The Producer/Ensemble

Kaitlyn Shifflett

Understudy Ensemble

Creative Team

Paata Tsikurishvili

Paata Tsikurishvili

Co-Director & Adaptation

A native of the Republic of Georgia, Paata is an innovative, award-winning international artistic director, director and educator with more than 30 years of experience fusing the classical elements of drama, movement, dance, pantomime and music. Since Synetic Theater’s founding in 2001, Mr. Tsikurishvili has received multiple Helen Hayes Awards and nominations, for directing, sound design, and adaptation. Together with his wife and Synetic co-founder Irina, he was named “Washingtonian of the Year” in 2013. Mr. Tsikurishvili has directed and performed in Hamlet … the rest is silence, The Master and Margarita, The Crackpots, Dracula, Host and Guest, Frankenstein, and The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Immigrant. He has directed over 60 productions including Salomé, Bohemians, Jason and the Argonauts, The Dybbuk, Faust, Frankenstein, Macbeth, Animal Farm, The Fall of the House of Usher, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Dante, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello, King Arthur, King Lear, Don Quixote, Twelfth Night, Much Ado about Nothing, The Three Musketeers, Alice in Wonderland, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, As You Like It, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sleepy Hollow, and The Immigrant, among many others. Synetic’s inaugural production, Hamlet… the rest is silence, received three Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Director, Outstanding Resident Play, and Outstanding Choreography. As an educator, Mr. Tsikurishvili has trained hundreds of actors in movement technique through Synetic Theater and has taught at leading universities such as American University, the Catholic University of America, and Georgetown University. Before moving to the United States he co-founded Mimodrama Theater in Germany and has toured worldwide. Paata holds an MFA in film directing from Tbilisi State University and a BFA in acting from The State Institute of Theater and Film in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Irina Tsikurishvili

Irina Tsikurishvili

Co-Director & Choreographer

A native of the Republic of Georgia, Irina has been nominated for the Helen Hayes Award dozens of times and a 14-time recipient for her outstanding choreography and acting. Irina has choreographed all Synetic Theater’s productions including The Crackpots, Dracula, Host and Guest and Frankenstein, Island of Doctor Moreau, Salomé, Bohemians, Jason and the Argonauts, The Dybbuk, Faust, Frankenstein, Macbeth, Animal Farm, The Fall of the House of Usher, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Dante, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello, King Arthur, King Lear, Don Quixote, Othello, Twelfth Night, Much Ado about Nothing, Three Musketeers, Alice in Wonderland, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, As You Like It, The Immigrant, and much more. She has taught at Georgetown University and continues to run intensive movement workshops and train Synetic cast members. With her husband Paata, she is the co-founder of Synetic Theater. They were named Washingtonians of the Year in 2013. Irina graduated from Chabukiani National Ballet Academy in Tbilisi, Georgia, and holds BFA in Performing Arts.

Nathan Weinberger

Nathan Weinberger

Adaptation

Nathan is a founding company member of Synetic Theater, having started with the company in 2001. He has been resident dramaturg since 2005 and has adapted many of Synetic’s most successful productions, including DraculaFaustAnimal FarmThe Fall of the House of UsherJekyll & HydeThe Picture of Dorian GrayThe TrialCyrano de Bergerac, as well as MacbethRomeo and JulietAntony and CleopatraOthelloThe TempestTwelfth NightMuch Ado About Nothing, and Richard III for Synetic’s wordless Shakespeare series. His adaptations of The Island of Dr. MoreauThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sleepy Hollow, and The Immigrant each received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Resident Play or Musical Adaptation. He won the award for his adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart.

Brian Allard

Lighting Designer

Erik Teague

Costume Designer

Phil Charlwood

Set Designer

Joshua Cole Lucas

Technical Director

Amy Kellett

Production Manager & Props Designer

Khue Duong

Production Stage Manager

Konstantine Lortkipanidze

Konstantine Lortkipanidze

Soud Designer, Composer & Remix

Konstantine is a native of Tbilisi, Georgia. He has composed original music for dozens of Synetic productions and has received seven Helen Hayes Award nominations for his sound designs and received two awards. He has also composed original music for the films First Steps, Essay (both directed by Paata Tsikurishvili), and Mirage. His theatrical work includes Hunter from the Sun, Guest of the Night, Mimikria, Labyrinth, and The Decameron. His compositions have also been performed at music festivals across Europe, including the Max Ophuls Festival in Germany and the International Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam. Konstantine received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Tbilisi State Conservatory.

Irakli Kavsadze

Assistant Director & Co-Sound Designer

Levi Manners

Audio Engineer

Natasha Sanchez

Assistant Stage Manager

Dean Leong

Assistant Lighting Designer

Channing Tucker

Assistant Costume Designer

Aaron Kan

Additional Music

Alex Keen

Lighting Supervisor

Susannah Cai

Lighting Programmer & Board Op

Rukiya Fields

Wardrobe Supervisor

Kristin Patrick

Draper

Tim Grant

Scenic Artist

Pete Neil

Carpenter

Tony Ritchie

Carpenter

Vato Tsikurishvili

Creative Team

Maryam Najafzada

Creative Team

Stella Bunch

Creative Team

Natan-Maël Gray

Creative Team

Lev Belolipetski

Creative Team

Katie Buchwell

Stage Manager Cover