Assures Lilit Galstyan, the Chair of All-National Armenian Educational and Cultural Union
Recently, there is activeness in the area of dramaturgy; award ceremonies are held, which are intended to discover especially the shifts found in the scenic literature, thus stimulating theater-literature connection. One of the evidences of aforesaid is “Levon Shant” award ceremony help by the All-National Armenian Educational and Cultural Union. The results have been announced, the winners are published. The best 5 works received monetary awards, and 12 plays that took part in the award ceremony, including the winner, will be published in the digest. The contest was announced early this year.
In the interview with “Aravot”, the Chair of All-National Armenian Educational and Cultural Union Lilit Galstyan, speaking about the competition and its goals, specified continuity of the Armenian dramaturgy and the traditions of the theater, discovering new names in dramaturgy genre, as well as new ways of the genre.
“To the point, the award ceremony was a reconnaissance of our dramaturgy economy, aiming to clarify, in the language of the theater, who the hero of our time is, and what references has our time found in dramaturgy, because there is constantly an alarm that the Armenian theater is stalled, there is no reference made to the pulse of our time, and the dramaturgy as a literary genre has ceased to be viable,”- said Lilit Galstyan.
We asked to detail what was said in the example of the award ceremony held. Our interlocutor noted that first of all for about 6 months, according to her, the work of diligent jury, whose members were stage director Ruben Babayan, ANAECU Secretary Sona Meloyan, writer Ruben Hovsepyan, literary critic Arkemnik Nickoghosyan and she, “Really we did not expect that we would have 51 applications, of which 12 were from the Diaspora, including England, Bulgaria, Iran and so on.” And who the hero of our time is, Lilit Galstyan said, – “The jury disclosed two topics that constantly concern and cause pain to us, the Armenians: the emigration, and Artsakh fight for freedom. And the hero turned to be a person living beside us and sharing our bitterness, who is in constant search for existence of dignity and consciousness of expensiveness of its own roots and the motherland, and my word are also confirmed by titles of the plays “Two tickets to train”, “The house on the border” and so on.”
Our observation made our interlocutor angry that, under the condition of growing migration, the Armenian vagrant seeking a cozy corner in outside is also a hero of time.” An Armenian is an Armenian, in which corner of the world it appears. The gene to assert their roots and motherland is found in many of them. We have figures who are really strong Armenians, though in a foreign land, but they adhere to their roots with both legs, said our interlocutor in a pathetic tone, adding,- the standard of artistic value, after all, is still not the subject. I understand that these issues are inevitable, and I would be surprised that in the the 21st century our drama would not refer to them. I should mention that not the theme but the message in the writings was guiding.”
We asked what fate awaits the head winner of the competition, Gurgen Khanjyan’s play, she answered,- “Khanjyan’s “Artavazd – Shidare” play will be staged, there is no doubt here, the play was distinguished from the rest with its artistic dramaturgical specification”. Lilit Galstyan assured that the Armenian theater and dramaturgy benefited of the award ceremony held by them.
S. DANIELYAN
