COLLECTIVE OF CHAMBER MUSIC THEATER DEMANDS RESTORING DISMISSED DIRECTOR LEVON ABRAHAMIAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 07 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Former Director of Chamber Music
Theater, Levon Abrahamian is going to apply to the court one of these
days to litigate the decision of RA Minister of Culture and Youth
Affairs Hasmik Poghosian, according to which he was dismissed from
work on November 29. As L.Abrahamian said at the December 6 press
conference, it is a week he has been demanding that the Ministry
present him the motivation for dimissing him, but in vain.

In his words, during tete-a-tete talks with him Hasmik Poghosian
said that he was dismissed on the basis of complaint by theater’s
Art Director Armen Meliksetian whom L.Abrahamian had dismissed
from work. "I have dismissed Armen Meliksetian for violating labor
regulations for many times. And before this Armen Meliksetian had
received four written observations: he did not present the repertoire
of the new theater season, took on some people to work illegally and
hampered execution of the director’s decisions," Levon Abrahamian
declared.

At the same time, he expressed bewilderment that "director is dismissed
because one person’s complaint and the same Minister does not wish
to listen to the collective’s voice and does not wish to read the
application-complaint signed by 43 employees, with which they demand to
restore the director of their theater." Seven directors were changed
in the theater during eight years.

"Were all of them so bad that they were not able to work with Armen
Meliksetian?" L.Abrahamian asked and added: "the theater has no
repertoire, has no exact schedule. Meliksetian gave theater’s rehearsal
rooms for rent and did not transfer the money to the cash-box. The
has committed many financial violations." To recap, conflicts between
directors and the art director of the Chamber Music Theater go on
for several years. As many of employees estimate, the theater has
suffered from Armen Meliksetian’s ambitions and presumption.

Currently they support former Director Levon Abrahamian and closed the
door before the new acting director sent by the Minsitry representative
on December 6.