Bebook Mobile Theater has traveled to various communities in Yerevan and across Armenia’s regions.
The Bebook Mobile Theater brings interactive puppet and shadow performances to young audiences. Ani Yeremyan, one of the theater’s founders, shared in an interview with “Aravot” that they received a grant, which they used entirely to purchase a bus, transforming it into the “Bebook” theater-bus.
“The bus has now become a theater,” she said. The Armenian General Benevolent Union, in collaboration with Creative Armenia and funded by the EU, launched the “Catapult” creative acceleration program to support Armenia’s creative industry. Bebook Mobile Theater received a grant through this program.
“The uniqueness of our theater lies in its fully interactive performances. This was our primary goal when establishing the theater and staging any performance,” said Yeremyan. “Traditional theater may not captivate children as much, but the interactive format engages them, making them part of the performance, and helps them understand the essence of theater. In our plays, children become the heroes, developing the plot themselves.”
Ani Yeremyan
Ani Yeremyan said that Bebook Mobile Theater was founded in 2021, with their first performance on June 1. “The theater was founded by me and my classmate, Ruzanna Petrosyan. Since 2018, we had the idea to create a mobile interactive theater. With support from ‘Artbox,’ we made our dream a reality.”
Ruzanna Petrosyan
Both Ani Yeremyan and Ruzanna Petrosyan are graduates of the Yerevan Cinema and Theater Institute; Yeremyan from the art management department and Petrosyan from the acting department. The theater-bus has visited various communities in Yerevan and several regions in Armenia. “Our bus has been active for a year. We are preparing support programs and seeking sponsors to visit regions we haven’t reached yet. So far, we’ve been to Shirak, Lori, Ararat, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, and Kotayk regions. We aim to visit border communities, but this requires additional financial resources that we cannot cover through self-financing. We have several partners and arrangements, and hope to move towards our main mission of reaching border villages after completing our current project, ‘Fairy Tale on Wheels,’ with the Yerevan Municipality,” Yeremyan added.
When asked about engaging children in the age of technology, Yeremyan stated, “That’s why our performances are interactive. Our experience shows that it’s not about the fairy tale itself but how it’s presented. We have well-known fairy tales like ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs,’ as well as original stories we’ve written. Our New Year’s plays are based on our original tales. We also adapt famous cartoons and classic Tumanyan fairy tales. The key is the interactive format and involving children in the performances.”
Yeremyan emphasized the importance of support to reach rural areas. “Visiting communities outside Yerevan is crucial. We know that not everyone in the regions can afford theater. We never charge for performances outside Yerevan. When we visit rural areas where children lack access to theater, we ensure the performances are free for them.”
Gohar Hakobyan
