which was deemed by the secret police to be a conspiracy. He had to disband Duruji under Lavrentiy Beria’s pressure in 1927, but Akhemetli’s resonant successes earned him protection in Moscow. His skills at spectacular massed casts, and choreography garnered an international acclaim. After his masterpiece, Lamara, a play be Grigol Robakidze, won a prize at the 1930 Moscow Drama Olympiad, Akhemetli and his troupe were invited to tour the United States, alarming the Soviet authorities. Following Robakidze’s scandalous defection to Germany later that year, Beria launched a new assault against Akhmeteli. Paradoxically, Lamara continued to be staged to prove the achievements of Soviet theatrical art, although without the name of the playwright on the posters. Akhemeteli produced his last major work based on Die Räuber by Schiller in 1933, followed by the triumphant tour to Moscow. Akhemeteli was never able to escape Beria's supervision. Accused of "anti-Soviet activities" and forbidden to tour abroad, Akhemeteli was finally removed from the scene in 1935. He took refuge among his admirers in Moscow, but, in 1937, he was extradited to Tbilisi to be imprisoned with a number of his colleagues on trumped-up charges of espionage for the British and plots to murder Beria and Joseph Stalin. Akhemeteli was subjected, in the presence of Beria, to extensive tortures until rendered mute and paralyzed. He was forced to make confessions but refused to name others and was executed on June 27, 1937. Foreign visitors to his theater were informed he had retired. Akhmeteli was first rehabilitated by the Georgian theater historian Natela Urushadze. References Mikaberidze, Alexander (ed., 2007), Akhmeteli, Sandro. Dictionary of Georgian National Biography. Юдина, Екатерина. Ахметели, Александр (Сандро) Васильевич. Энциклопедия Кругосвет. 1886 births 1937 deaths Theatre directors from Georgia (country) Soviet theatre directors Great Purge victims from Georgia (country) Executed spies