Puppet theatre
In 1995, in the Abovyan cultural centre a couple was sitting about 50-55 years old.
His face comprises all the plays of the destiny wide and suffered forehead of artist, a small hole in the lower jaw and restrained burst, which can burst out in any time and infect the others.
Petros Martirosyan (they address him as Mr. Petros); this name is as much unfamiliar as famous in the sphere of theatrical public.
The artists of the Abovyan Dramatic Theatre (Varuj Aghajanyan, Zoya Aghajanyan, Azniv Chizmechyan, Anna Smbatyan, Arture and the others) inspired by the inflective theatrical- illness of Mr. Petros and took the hazard to begin a very hard but at the same time sweat work i.e. to create a Puppet Theatre.
In the cultural centre the constructional work of the puppet theatres hall and the hole-stage has already begun. The artists became also builders. They made rehearsals after the constructional work in the dust and dirt. Mr. Petros and his wife Zemfira made the puppets themselves. The first performance that should be presented to the judgment of the citizens was “Cranes didnt return” (author Mr.Petros). The play was nearly ready when the irreconcilability arose between the authority and Mr.Petros (no need for details). Finally the artists performed the play without Mr. Petros and Zemfira. And the life of the puppet theatre lasted very short. And who had profited from it? – nobody, but one thing was clear that now there is no puppet theatre in Abovyan city and unfortunately for a long time it wont be. (“We hope that this idea and advertisement will inspire the others and the performances of the puppet theatre will begin”, – noticed a group of artists).
-In 1997, Petros found me and invited to his theatre The Yerevan Officers House, (before that time I have already left the Abovyan Dramatic Theatre). There werent the possibilities of the Abovyan but there was the wish to study and create. We played together such performances as “Nazar in the Fly land”, “The house of the dwarf” and we went round all over the Armenia; we prepared to go on tour to Paris but… And in 1999 we departed, – tells the artist of the puppet theatre Varuj Aghajanyan.
Petros Martirosyan wrote and staged such plays as “Song of the dwarf”, “Tale of the forest”, “Tale about the wolf and the hedgehog” etc. Most of that plays were produced in many puppet stages of the world. Recently was the 35 anniversary of “Song of the dwarf”.
The theatre of Mr. Petros works now in Yerevan; unfortunately he hasnt stable space but has movable stage. His all the performances express love towards his fatherland. Maybe thats why in our country many artists like he hasnt their own places. I dont know, probably…
Now the Abovyan Puppet Theatre doesnt work. Many people tried to re-establish the theatre but in vain. Like an orphan the theatre stayed without the artists.
We hope that the authorities of the Abovyan city wont let inactive theatre.
