For the past five years, the Gezi Cultural Center in Jersey City has taught roughly 50 local children about their ancestry, a land more than a thousand miles away, the Republic of Georgia.
Georgian culture is steeped in rich history, stemming back over 3,000 years. But to overcome the challenges of teaching a foreign culture, the center has been using theater productions to bring the Georgian culture to life.
Their new theater group Gezi Youth Theater is the first Georgian language theater group in North America. Using both film and theater combined, their new production Hellados tells the story of a Georgian boy who is forced to return to his native Greece.
“It teaches the children that people everywhere are the same,” said founder of the center Maya Baramidze. A Georgian national, Baramidze spoke through a thick accent.
“The play is about the meaning of love, and of homeland,” she said. According to Baramidze, much of the filmed sections of the production were shot on Jersey City streets.
“It would be like calling up Dustin Hoffman and asking him to come and teach your children.” – Maya Baramidze
“It’s much easier for them to understand [a play],” Baramidze said. “We can talk about language and history, all at once.” By bringing the language and history of the play to life, the children are more interested and actively involved in the learning process.
“With our children, a play is the best way to teach them,” Baramidze said.
A helping hand
But with a cast of 10 actors ranging in ages from 5 to 14 years old, Baramidze, a classical violinist by trade, needed a helping hand to teach her students. To help, she sought the assistance of famous Georgian actress Khatuna Ioseliani.
Ioseliani is a renowned Georgian actress and was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar for her work in the 1996 movie, A Chef in Love.
“She is great and really beautiful,” Baramidze said, “and she really knows what she is doing.”
When asked how Ioseliani has helped the children, Baramidze said: “It would be like calling up Dustin Hoffman and asking him to come and teach your children. She is the best teacher that I can offer the children; I’m very happy.”
Now, the center is looking to expand its Jersey City location at 128 Sussex St., to accommodate the growing number of students. Currently, there is a 25 student wait list.
D.I.Y.
Like many immigrants, Baramidze emigrated from Georgia to seek a better life for herself and her children. But, with all the wealth in America, Baramidze noticed one striking deficiency: education.
“It’s very expensive to give my children good programs like ballet or dance,” Baramidze admitted. So, commuting from Jersey City with her children to Brooklyn where her husband worked, Baramidze started a small school, which eventually grew much larger. Now, the center has two locations – one in Brooklyn and the other at 128 Sussex St. in Jersey City.
“I always do the next step,” Baramidze said, “and try to do something new.”
The center’s next project is already underway – a sculpture and film class combined called Clay Theater. Students will create clay figurines that will be used in a theater production.
Clay Theater will again merge two forms of art and allow children to experience sculpture, as well as, theater.
For more information on the Gezi Cultural Center in Jersey City, please visit: www.gezi.us.