Armenian theater and drama won with `Levon Shant’
July 20 2013
Assures Lilit Galstyan, the Chair of All-National Armenian Educational
and Cultural Union Recently, there is activeness in the area of
dramaturgy; award ceremonies are held, which are intended to discover
especially the shifts found in the scenic literature, thus stimulating
theater-literature connection. One of the evidences of aforesaid is
`Levon Shant’ award ceremony help by the All-National Armenian
Educational and Cultural Union. The results have been announced, the
winners are published. The best 5 works received monetary awards, and
12 plays that took part in the award ceremony, including the winner,
will be published in the digest. The contest was announced early this
year. In the interview with `Aravot’, the Chair of All-National
Armenian Educational and Cultural Union Lilit Galstyan, speaking about
the competition and its goals, specified continuity of the Armenian
dramaturgy and the traditions of the theater, discovering new names in
dramaturgy genre, as well as new ways of the genre. `To the point, the
award ceremony was a reconnaissance of our dramaturgy economy, aiming
to clarify, in the language of the theater, who the hero of our time
is, and what references has our time found in dramaturgy, because
there is constantly an alarm that the Armenian theater is stalled,
there is no reference made to the pulse of our time, and the
dramaturgy as a literary genre has ceased to be viable,’- said Lilit
Galstyan. We asked to detail what was said in the example of the award
ceremony held. Our interlocutor noted that first of all for about 6
months, according to her, the work of diligent jury, whose members
were stage director Ruben Babayan, ANAECU Secretary Sona Meloyan,
writer Ruben Hovsepyan, literary critic Arkemnik Nickoghosyan and she,
`Really we did not expect that we would have 51 applications, of which
12 were from the Diaspora, including England, Bulgaria, Iran and so
on.’ And who the hero of our time is, Lilit Galstyan said, – `The jury
disclosed two topics that constantly concern and cause pain to us, the
Armenians: the emigration, and Artsakh fight for freedom. And the hero
turned to be a person living beside us and sharing our bitterness, who
is in constant search for existence of dignity and consciousness of
expensiveness of its own roots and the motherland, and my word are
also confirmed by titles of the plays `Two tickets to train’, `The
house on the border’ and so on.’ Our observation made our interlocutor
angry that, under the condition of growing migration, the Armenian
vagrant seeking a cozy corner in outside is also a hero of time.’ An
Armenian is an Armenian, in which corner of the world it appears. The
gene to assert their roots and motherland is found in many of them. We
have figures who are really strong Armenians, though in a foreign
land, but they adhere to their roots with both legs, said our
interlocutor in a pathetic tone, adding,- the standard of artistic
value, after all, is still not the subject. I understand that these
issues are inevitable, and I would be surprised that in the the 21st
century our drama would not refer to them. I should mention that not
the theme but the message in the writings was guiding.’ We asked what
fate awaits the head winner of the competition, Gurgen Khanjyan’s
play, she answered,- `Khanjyan’s `Artavazd – Shidare’ play will be
staged, there is no doubt here, the play was distinguished from the
rest with its artistic dramaturgical specification’. Lilit Galstyan
assured that the Armenian theater and dramaturgy benefited of the
award ceremony held by them.
S. DANIELYAN
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From: Baghdasarian