William Shakespeare at the Peace Cathedral

On the evening of July 22nd, the Peace Cathedral opened its vaulted sanctuary to the timeless words of William Shakespeare with a stirring performance of Romeo and Juliet. Remarkably, despite the Cathedral’s 25-year tradition of hosting diverse and moving theatrical events, this was the very first time a Shakespearean play had been staged within its sacred walls. Until now—no Shakespeare.

Yet Shakespeare has not been entirely absent from the life of the Peace Cathedral. His words have long echoed through sacred moments, with excerpts from his poetry woven into the wedding liturgy. In that sense, his voice has quietly accompanied many through rites of love and commitment, long before this dramatic debut.

Directed by the talented Ekaterine “Kato” Sharikadze of the Sokhumi Youth Theatre, the production featured an original and evocative musical score by Levan Basharuli. Projected on the walls of the Cathedral were parallel texts—in original Shakespearean English and modern Georgian—creating a linguistic bridge for the diverse audience.

The visual staging was equally bold and imaginative. Costumes were ethereal, bordering on otherworldly. All actors remained onstage throughout the performance—from the opening line to the final breath. When not portraying specific characters, they embodied emotions, ambient sounds, or the spiritual essence of a scene, blurring the line between the visible and the invisible, the spoken and the felt.

There was no distance between performer and audience. The interior of the Cathedral transformed the experience into an immersive journey. One felt transported to medieval Verona. As the actors splashed water from a central pond—symbolic and literal—you felt the urge to dip your own hands and face into it, especially on that warm Tbilisi night.

It was a powerful, breathtaking performance—visually arresting, emotionally charged, and spiritually profound.

The audience was as diverse as the performance itself: clergy and laity, diplomats and artists, youth and elders. Among the distinguished guests were representatives from the United States, Germany, Estonia, Norway, China, and many corners of Georgian society.

“It was as though the play were meant to be performed at the Peace Cathedral. The interior space suited it exceptionally well.”
— H.E. Marge Mardisalu-Kahar, Estonian Ambassador to Georgia

“Today we welcomed Shakespeare to the Peace Cathedral. This performance reminds us once again that Shakespeare can be interpreted and reinterpreted by every generation, yet still retain his prophetic relevance for each era. The production was exquisitely designed and executed with breathtaking precision. Simply brilliant!”
— Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili

At the heart of the stage was a symbolic pool of water—visually stunning and rich with spiritual meaning. In the Baptist tradition, water immersion symbolizes the believer’s personal commitment to a life of faith. The Greek word baptizō—“to immerse”—points to a sacred act of transformation. In the context of Romeo and Juliet, water became a central metaphor: a symbol of reconciliation, of cleansing grief, and of hope for unity in a world divided by hatred.

The presence of the Sokhumi Youth Theatre was especially poignant. Founded in the early 1990s, before Sokhumi fell to Russian-backed forces, the theatre represents a powerful legacy of resilience. Many in the audience were internally displaced persons (IDPs) or descendants of those who fled Abkhazia during the war. For them, this performance was more than art—it was a remembrance, a reclaiming of identity, and an affirmation of cultural continuity.

The closing scenes of Romeo and Juliet delivered their age-old but ever-relevant message: that reconciliation is born not of pride or vengeance, but of shared sorrow. That even the bitterest divisions can be healed—if only through tragedy, truth, and the recognition of our common humanity.

It is believed that this was the first—but certainly not the last—time that Shakespeare has been welcomed under the shared roof of the Peace Cathedral, a space sacred to Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and people of all or no faith. In this shared space, Shakespeare found a new home—and spoke, once again, to hearts across boundaries.