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AWARD WINNER KOUYOUMDJIAN TO STAGE 'ANCIENT GODS'
http://asbarez.com/119262/award-winner-kouyoumdjian-to-stage-%E2%80%98ancient-gods%E2%80%99/
Friday, February 7th, 2014
Aram Kouyoumdjian presents Levon Shant's 'Ancient Gods'
LOS ANGELES--Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian
will stage a new adaptation of Levon Shant's play "Ancient Gods"
(Hin Asdvadzner) next month. The re-envisioned "Ancient Gods" will
have its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at the NoHo Arts Center,
where it will enjoy a three-week run through March 23.
Presented by the Garni Theater Ensemble, in association with the
Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society, the adaptation by
Kouyoumdjian converts Shant's sprawling play into a solo performance,
told from the perspective of a single character. The play depicts a
monk's crisis of faith and struggle with carnal temptation after he
saves a woman from drowning in a storm at sea.
"The play is both classic and iconic, but I've tried to contemporize
it and give it a modern edge," Kouyoumdjian said of the streamlined
work. "It will be a revelation even for audiences who are familiar
with the original text or earlier productions."
Scripted in Armenian and featuring original music composed by Ara
Dabandjian, the production will star Aram Muradian, a professionally
trained actor from Armenia, who has been acclaimed for his local
performances in such plays as "Averagneri Bahagneruh" (The Guards of
Ruins), "Galank" (Confinement), and "Patand" (The Hostage). He will
perform the play ten times over three weekends - on Friday and Saturday
nights at 8 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm. A special evening performance
on Sunday, March 16, will be accompanied by English projections. Due
to the intimate nature of the performances, no late seating will
be allowed.
Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for directing ("Three
Hotels") and playwriting ("The Farewells"). He was the co-founder
and Artistic Director of Vista Players, a Sacramento-based theater
company which "set the standard by which others were judged,"
according to the Sacramento News & Review. The Sacramento Bee has
hailed Kouyoumdjian for having "an adventurous artistic sensibility
for intelligent productions." His directing credits include "Arcadia,"
"Far Away," "Marvin's Room," "The Play About the Baby," and "Six
Degrees of Separation." His latest works are "Happy Armenians" and
"Velvet Revolution."
Tickets may be purchased online at www.itsmyseat.com/garni or by
calling (626) 8MY.SEAT.
Performance Dates Fridays and Saturdays - March 7, 8, 14, 15, 21,
22 - 8:00 pm Sundays - March 9, 16, 23 - 3:00 pm Sunday - March 16 -
7:00 pm (with English projections)
Venue NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim),
North Hollywood
Tickets Reserved seating. Tickets are $35 and $25 and may be purchased
online at www.itsmyseat.com/garni or by calling (626) 8MY.SEAT. No
late seating will be allowed.
http://asbarez.com/119262/award-winner-kouyoumdjian-to-stage-%E2%80%98ancient-gods%E2%80%99/
Friday, February 7th, 2014
Aram Kouyoumdjian presents Levon Shant's 'Ancient Gods'
LOS ANGELES--Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian
will stage a new adaptation of Levon Shant's play "Ancient Gods"
(Hin Asdvadzner) next month. The re-envisioned "Ancient Gods" will
have its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at the NoHo Arts Center,
where it will enjoy a three-week run through March 23.
Presented by the Garni Theater Ensemble, in association with the
Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society, the adaptation by
Kouyoumdjian converts Shant's sprawling play into a solo performance,
told from the perspective of a single character. The play depicts a
monk's crisis of faith and struggle with carnal temptation after he
saves a woman from drowning in a storm at sea.
"The play is both classic and iconic, but I've tried to contemporize
it and give it a modern edge," Kouyoumdjian said of the streamlined
work. "It will be a revelation even for audiences who are familiar
with the original text or earlier productions."
Scripted in Armenian and featuring original music composed by Ara
Dabandjian, the production will star Aram Muradian, a professionally
trained actor from Armenia, who has been acclaimed for his local
performances in such plays as "Averagneri Bahagneruh" (The Guards of
Ruins), "Galank" (Confinement), and "Patand" (The Hostage). He will
perform the play ten times over three weekends - on Friday and Saturday
nights at 8 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm. A special evening performance
on Sunday, March 16, will be accompanied by English projections. Due
to the intimate nature of the performances, no late seating will
be allowed.
Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for directing ("Three
Hotels") and playwriting ("The Farewells"). He was the co-founder
and Artistic Director of Vista Players, a Sacramento-based theater
company which "set the standard by which others were judged,"
according to the Sacramento News & Review. The Sacramento Bee has
hailed Kouyoumdjian for having "an adventurous artistic sensibility
for intelligent productions." His directing credits include "Arcadia,"
"Far Away," "Marvin's Room," "The Play About the Baby," and "Six
Degrees of Separation." His latest works are "Happy Armenians" and
"Velvet Revolution."
Tickets may be purchased online at www.itsmyseat.com/garni or by
calling (626) 8MY.SEAT.
Performance Dates Fridays and Saturdays - March 7, 8, 14, 15, 21,
22 - 8:00 pm Sundays - March 9, 16, 23 - 3:00 pm Sunday - March 16 -
7:00 pm (with English projections)
Venue NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim),
North Hollywood
Tickets Reserved seating. Tickets are $35 and $25 and may be purchased
online at www.itsmyseat.com/garni or by calling (626) 8MY.SEAT. No
late seating will be allowed.