60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEATRE AFTER HAKOB PARONIAN MARKED

YEREVAN, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). The Yerevan Theatre of Comedy after
Hakob Paronian is 60 years old. In connection with this on August 19 a
jubilee event was organized within the framework of the “One Nation,
One Culture” first Pan-Armenian cultural festival. Actors from other
theatres, as well as art workers from abroad took part in the
event. Aram Ter-Hovhannisian, Armenak Ter-Abrahamian, Shara Talian,
Edvard Hambartsumian, Karp Khachvankian, Meline Hamamjian, Mayis
Gharagyozian, Tatik Sarian, Artemy Ayvazian and other great cultural
workers stood at the sources of the theatre. The famous actors with
their brilliant acting occupied their place in the history of Armenian
theatre. Yervand Ghazanchian, the Chairman of the Theatre Workers’
Union of Armenia, the Artistic Director of the theatre, told Noyan
Tapan that the theatre established in the years of the Second World
War 60 years running has made its spectators laugh. The theatre
continued this mission even in the hard years of blockade of the
newly-independent Armenia. “In the years of hunger and darkness we
tried to play without losing hope. Though it was impossible, difficult
to work in those years we played and thank God we were able to
overcome that desperate situation,” he mentioned. Meanwhile Yervand
Ghazanchian mentioned that the theatre also had losses in the previous
4-5 years, the great figures of the theatre died and only Svetlana
Grigorian has remained among them. At present actors of middle and
younger generation work at the theatre, Seda Marian Kalantarian, Zaven
Abrahamian, Boris Pepanian, Mariam Ghazarian, Varuzhan Gasparian,
Varuzhan Man ukian. The head of the theatre said that the new
theatrical season will open on September 9 with the premiere of the
“National Worker” play by Alexander Shirvanzade. And by the end of the
year the theatre repertoire consisting of 16 performances will be
completed with the “In the Reformatory” Aghasi Ayvazian’s play, which
is the staging of the “From Yerevan Reformatory” Yeghishe Charents’
work.