Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Nov 19 2004

Getting versed in theater

Glendale resident turns Armenian poetry into English play for
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre.

By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press and Leader

GLENDALE – Anahid Keshishian is quick to point out that her latest
stage venture is not a poetry reading, even though the actors will be
reading poetry.

“It’s very theatrical, it’s very visual,” said Keshishian, the
creator and director of “They Were Poets,” a play featuring Armenian
poetry translated into English. “It’s a risky thing to do, taking
poems and making them into theater, because it’s an emotional roller
coaster. They go from the jubilee of a wedding to a funeral, and then
to erotic love songs. The themes are chained together.”

“They Were Poets” debuted at Hollywood’s Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
earlier this month. Another performance is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Saturday at the theater, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., and the show could be
extended another week or two.

Keshishian, a Glendale resident, teaches Armenian Language and
Literature at UCLA. Three years ago, she recruited a group of her
students to form Arena Productions, a Glendale-based nonprofit group
that aims to bring innovative performances to the Los Angeles area.

“They Were Poets” includes a cast of 13, mostly Armenians and
students or former students.

“It was something that has never been done before, and I don’t know
if it’ll ever be done again,” said Ashot Tadevosian, a member of the
cast. “Armenian culture remains among Armenians. It really never gets
out and is never presented to other nationalities. For it to be
recognized, this is the best way to do it – to translate it into a
language like English. A lot of people speak English.”

The play includes 22 poems with many from well-known Armenian poets,
but Keshishian did not necessarily pick their best-known works.

“It was a really interesting concept in that they did take these
amazing poems and translate them into English and put them to music,”
said Teni Khachaturian, who saw the play Nov. 13. “The combination of
the two things was really powerful.”

Tickets are $20 and are available by calling 818-240-7080, or by
e-mail at arena405@aol.com.