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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
AGBU-AYA Lebanon’s Vahram Papazian Drama Group Presents "God, Don’t
Forsake Us"
To open the 2009 season, the Vahram Papazian Theater Group of AGBU-AYA
Lebanon gave the first presentation of "Der, Mi Toghour Mez Ander" (God,
Don’t Forsake Us), a two-act, modern-day tragi-comedy by the talented
Armenian playwright Jirair Ananian, at the Hagop Der Melkonian Hall on
February 26, 2009. Subsequent performances, including a gala
presentation on March 1, were staged over the following two weekends.
This production coincides with the golden jubilee of the Papazian
Theater Group, which was founded in 1959 by the well-known
Lebanese-Armenian actor and director Berj Fazlian.
In charge of the production was Prof. Yervant Ghazanchian, veteran
theatrical director from Armenia who has been directing the group for
the past decade.
Ananian’s plays have been frequently staged in Armenia and, to a certain
extent, in the diaspora. The theme of this play, despite being based on
the post-independence realities of the Republic of Armenia, bears a
great similarity to the psychological states witnessed by the Armenian
communities of the Middle East, where the impact of political unrest and
emigration are chronic problems. The play depicts a clash in a family
when the father refuses to leave his ancestral soil, while his wife
follows her brother’s directive to emigrate because the country is
facing food shortages and high unemployment.
Set in a stark apartment, the play is animated by the comings and goings
of its characters, who live in a society struggling to maintain their
high ideals in the face of harsh on-the-ground realities. The 17
experienced and first-time actors who participated in the Papazian
production delighted audiences with their energy and skill.
AGBU-AYA Vahram Papazian Theater Group, which was founded in 1959, is
one of AGBU’s six theater groups. For more information about AGBU and
its cultural programs, visit AGBU online at