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GYUMRI, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS:
Gyumri’s Stepan Alikhanyan puppet theatre, having 75-year old history, continues surprising its small audience with new and interesting performances. Armenpress news agency spoke with the art director and director of the theatre Levon Baghdasaryan.
- Which is the greatest achievement of 75-year old theatre?
- The trust of children gained during a course of years thanks to succeeded performances.
- How is it possible to satisfy our days’ small audience?
- It is not so easy, but it is very interesting. New ideas, new heroes, contemporary breath are necessary, but they must be organized in a way not to harm the child. This theatrical season we opened with Hovhannes Tumanyan’s motives. The author of the scenario and staging was young director Armenuhi Manukyan who has brought a new spirit to the theatre. The core thing to present in this scenario is love. It also teaches that lack of mind diverts a person taking him/her to a wrong path. Our performances are both for adults and small, each of them takes his/her.
- Do you think that the puppet theatre still plays a role in upbringing of the new generation?
- Of course. The child must be brought up in a proper way, must distinguish good and bad from the very beginning and one of the best ways to reach it is fairy tale.
- Do computer and TV replace theatre?
- The live contact is one thing, screen contact is another. We have displayed a more responsible approach to the issue. A child gets live energy from the stage and becomes direct participant of the action. The child in this case becomes not only a spectator but an acting person. Sure, in many cases a noise is created but it is not bad. Now we are working with greater pleasure. It is not the result of competition with Internet or TV but we fill the gap the Internet and TV cannot give – pedagogy, upbringing.
- Do you face the issue of changing the generation?
- It is being done gradually in the area of directors and puppet-actors. We need more boys, we have many girls. It is a difficult work, physically too. Not everyone can handle it.