Gyumri drama theater opens 161st season with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”

The Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre of Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, opened its 161st theatrical season with “The Glass Menagerie,” the 1944 drama by renowned American playwright Tennessee Williams.

The production was directed by Tatevik Melkonyan, who was also responsible for the costume and music design, while Mika Vatinian was responsible for the set design. The cast includes People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia Anahit Kocharyan, Sofya Sargsyan, Hasmik Suvaryan, Arsen Saghatelyan, Sargis Gharibyan, Arsen Mikayelyan and Garik Arakelyan.

The production is supported by Armenian Caritas, a benevolent organization. The initiative is based on promoting the idea of inclusion through the language of art and theater. The production provides an opportunity to talk about people who, because of their particular circumstances, are often excluded from public life.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the premiere, Ludwig Harutyunyan, artistic director of the Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre of Gyumri, said that the theater was continuing its tradition of creative collaboration and keeping its doors open to different artists.

“Our collaboration with Tatevik Melkonyan is going very well. She already has experience staging a production at our theater. In 2023, we presented her production ‘The Ordinary Bird.’ This time, we will present Tennessee Williams’ psychological drama ‘The Glass Menagerie’ to the audience,” Harutyunyan said.

This was the theater’s second collaboration with Armenian Caritas. The previous joint project was a production of William Gibson’s 1959 “The Miracle Worker,” directed by People’s Artist of Armenia and Professor Nikolay Tsaturyan.

According to Siranush Minasyan, head of Armenian Caritas’ “Promoting inclusive and equitable quality education for all in Armenia” program, art makes it possible to reach people’s hearts, change attitudes and do what formal and non-formal education sometimes cannot do.

“This is not simply a story from a book. Working in the field, we see many similar stories around us. We are trying to break down these barriers and create a more open and accessible world for everyone together,” Siranush Minasyan said.

Speaking about the theater’s upcoming programs, Ludwig Harutyunyan said that audiences would soon also be presented with a production in a lighter genre, the comedy “Bad Boys.”

“The 161st theatrical season will differ from the others in that an important seat in the theater will be vacant. Unfortunately, this is the first season when Nikolay Tsaturyan will not be with us. For the last 23-24 years, he did everything for the Vardan Ajemian Theater. Most importantly, he brought young people into the theater and made all of us love theater and devote ourselves to it. I associate both my own and every success of the theater with the name of Nikolay Tsaturyan,” Harutyunyan said.

Nikolay Tsaturyan, an Armenian theater director, actor and playwright and People’s Artist of Armenia, who served as artistic director of the Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre, died earlier this year at the age of 81.

During its 161st theatrical season, the Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre will present new productions to audiences, preserving the theater’s creative traditions while expanding its programs through new collaborations.