Nikoloz Bakradze, Sophio Zeragia, Sandro Samkharadze

Georgia

Country: Georgia

Biography Nikoloz Bakradze

Nikoloz Bakradze, Georgia, Independent artist (performing at: Royal District Theatre, Theatre on Atoneli, Theatre Factory 42)
27-year-old actor from Tbilisi, Georgia, graduated from Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University in 2022. His passion for theatre originated in early childhood but never developed into practice until his enrollment at university.

What led him there was renowned Georgian theatre director Temur Chkheidze, who became his mentor during the four years of active study in the actor’s craft. During that time, he starred in various stage productions at the university, acted in shows produced under the Tbilisi New Drama Festival, and, in addition, directed two short plays. After graduation, he performed at several prominent theatres in Tbilisi.

In 2023, in collaboration with a creative team of actors, composers, and a set and costume designer, he co-directed and starred in a theatrical production of The Pitchfork Disney (Philip Ridley), which earned him the Tsinandali Award and the Independent Prize Tavisupali for Best Actor. He also appeared in the second season of the popular Georgian TV show Changing Signs. Alongside acting, he has also found himself taking part in a kind of civil activism, rooted in solidarity and resistance.

Biography Sophio Zeragia

Sophio Zeragia is a Georgian actress, performer, and independent theatre-maker.
She studied at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University in Tbilisi, in the class of Temur Chkheidze and Data Tavadze. Early in her artistic journey, she realized that theatre could be a powerful space to embody her political values and social principles.

She has worked across large and small stages, but for the past three years she has chosen to boycott all institutions affiliated with Georgia’s Ministry of Culture, collaborating exclusively with independent theatres and initiatives. Sophio is particularly drawn to stories that center women’s experiences, injustice, and resistance. Her work seeks to amplify the voices of the marginalized and to place theatre clearly on the side of dignity, agency, and truth.

Alongside her theatre work, she has acted in both film and television. She stars in A Room of My Own (dir. Ioseb Bliadze), a feature film that received international acclaim.

She has co-created two experimental theatre productions without a director, working collaboratively with fellow actors: The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley and pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill. In 2023, she performed her monoplay Twins in a Tbilisi nightclub — a site-specific performance that led to her invitation to the Heidelberg Stückemarkt Festival in Germany.

Over the past year, she has been deeply engaged in activist movements, protests, and artistic strikes in response to Georgia’s political crisis.
At Avignon, she is presenting a new performance project in development — seeking collaborators, co-producers, and artistic dialogue that bridges creation and civic urgency.

Biography Sandro Samkharadze

Sandro Samkharadze is a Georgian actor, theatremaker, and activist. Since 2019, he has been a core member of the Royal District Theatre ensemble, known for their daring, socially engaged productions. His screen work includes the television series Artificial Breathing. Beyond the stage, Samkharadze is an active voice in Georgia’s civic life as part of the country’s growing resistance movement, using art and protest to challenge authoritarianism. Through performance and activism, he continues to shape conversations around freedom, identity, and justice in Georgia and beyond.

The Pitchfork Disney

Theatre On Atoneli

Play by Philip Ridley

Translation by Guram Ghonghadze

Set and costumes by Tamri Okhikiani

Music by Giorgi Gigashvili, Nikala Zubiashvili

Cast: Sandro Samkharadze, Sophio Zeragia, Nikoloz Bakradze, Lasha Mebuke

Four actors, one set and costume designer, two composers, and no stage director—or one could say the entire creative group collectively takes on the role of the director. This group of young Georgian artists challenges the possibility of defining their own functions and trajectories without a designated leader, within a democratic artistic process. For their text material, they chose a 1991 London play by Philip Ridley that surprisingly echoes 21st-century Tbilisi. For their next project they plan a new semi-documentary piece—born from their own realities as artist-activists—responding to Georgia’s political crisis with fear, hope, and resistance.

Contact details: nikolozfortheatre@gmail.com