ERMENI TO CONFRONT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AFTERMATH AT THE YALE REP

By MassisPost
Updated: March 19, 2015

NEW HEAVEN, CT — This month, the Yale Dramatic Association will
present its Spring Ex Production, ERMENI, a play about an Armenian
American family in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide. Written by
Yale senior Eric Sirakian, directed by Yale senior Noam Shapiro and
produced by Yale sophomore Jill Carrera, the play will run at the Yale
Repertory Theatre March 26th-28th at 8 p.m. and March 28th at 2 p.m.

Featuring an all-student cast, ERMENI tells the story of Ani — an
Armenian American college student — who brings her Turkish boyfriend
Taner home to her family in October of 1970. An argument about history
turns into a family crisis as Ani’s grandmother suffers a heart attack
and must be hospitalized. When Taner visits the hospitalized old woman
to make peace, their unexpected friendship sparks much more: a journey
into the past, and the revelation of a longburied family secret.

“Beyond its beautiful structure, characterization, and language,
ERMENI transcends a singular call to remember what happened to the
Armenian people” Shapiro said. “It is a call to our conscience. ERMENI
straddles past and the present as it speaks of distant actions that
still reverberate in our lives today.”

With the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th,
Sirakian’s ERMENI poses questions about history, identity, and memory
at a salient moment for Armenian studies and culture. An additional
panel discussion about the centenary of the Armenian Genocide will
therefore take place at 5 p.m. on March 28th in the Yale Rep lobby.

Panelists will include University of Michigan professor of Sociology
Fatma Gocek and Yale professor of History Jay Winter, who will examine
the modern-day reverberations of the Armenian Genocide from differing
historical perspectives. The discussion is hosted by the Genocide
Studies Program at Yale.

“As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,”
Shapiro added, “We believe that Eric Sirakian’s play will contribute
to a universal conversation about how to reconcile two narratives —
those of love and hate, friend and foe, me and you — and, perhaps,
find a way to move forward.”

Director Noam Shapiro is a double-major in history and theater
studies with a focus on 20th Century Europe and cultural memory. His
productions at Yale include “The Trojan Women,” “The Crucible,” “Circle
Mirror Transformation,” and “Cabaret.” Playwright Eric Sirakian is
also an actor, writer, and director, and a double-major in English
and theater studies. He has written “plays and the book for a musical
that will premiere at Yale in April. His playwriting mentors at Yale
include Sarah Ruhl and Donald Margulies.

“The actors and the creative team for ERMENI truly represent Yale at
its best,” Sirakian said. “I feel so honored and blessed to mount
the first production of my play, which has been developed here at
Yale for the past year and a half, with their help.”

The Dramat, an organization devoted to teaching students and producing
fine theatre, is one of the oldest undergraduate theatre organizations
in the country, and one of only a few that is entirely student-run.

The Dramat puts on seven productions each year, and over 250 students
work on these shows each year, learning from and teaching others in
areas ranging from financial management to production design.