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Armenian Playwrights Volume 1
A collection of Armenian plays in English translation or adaptation
to order: https://py.pl/1P7USw
(please "cut and paste" in your browser)
or From ABRIL Bookstore (818) 243-4112 at their new location 1022 E. Chevy Chase Dr., Suite C, Glendale, CA 91205
or call or email Aramazd Stepanian TheAramazd@gmail.com (818) 450-4801
Baghdasar Akhpar by Hagop Baronian, translated by Paul Rapley and Aramazd Stepanian, the most popular play in the Armenian theatre repertoire, is a late 19th century marital comedy, with a strong satirical bent. Baghdasar has found out that his wife has a lover. In the traditional society they live in, there is no question that he should be able to divorce his wife and preserve the honor of his house. But times are changing, and yet, other things remain the same…
If Your Eyes Are Clear by Aramazd Stepanian and Saghatel Harootyunyan is a drama set in the 1970’s Soviet Armenia. Judge Mirbegian is in charge of a court case related to massive corruption in a state conglomerate. He is expected and urged to convict a lowly driver as the person responsible. The man has confessed anyway- in open court. But the judge is skeptical to say the least. Pressure builds up on all sides, some openly, some quite insidiously…
In Vahé Berberian’s The Pink Elephant, a group of actors are rehearsing an ‘Absurd’ theatre piece, amid the dire ‘realities’ of the Lebanese Civil War. The play opens tomorrow, but irritating late-night arguments abound: Is theatre an educational tool, or an entertainment? Should an Armenian actress take off her shirt on stage? And the committee representative still says he would have preferred a comedy. “You do a worthy play, and you play to empty seats”.
In Kariné Khodikyan’s drama, Don’t Shoot, I’m Dead Already, a woman living alone, not only avoids any social contact, but is actively hostile towards all neighbors, particularly the low-life types upstairs, who seem to be having orgies- loud music and creaking beds- at least twice a week. She knocks and knocks hard on the ceiling with a rolling pin, until one day someone knocks on her door. Translated by Aramazd Stepanian.
Arshak and Shapoor is a short, dramatized version of the story, told by the 5th century historian Pavstos Beauzand, of the demise of King Arshak II of Armenia, in the hands of the Sassanid king Shapoor II. It is a tale that has left an indelible impression on Armenians throughout the ages. Adapted by Aramazd Stepanian.
Գնա մեռի արի սիրեմ GNA MERI ARI SIREM
Toomaniani hekiatner (in Armenian)