“ GARTAL AND ADAA PRESENT PLAY READINGS IN NYC”

New York, Ny

GARTAL , an Armenian literary reading series, and the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance (ADAA) a new organization focusing on dramatic works presented staged readings of two plays at the The Barrow Group (TBG) Theater Studios in New York City on Sunday, January 22, 2006. Both the matinee and evening performances were sold out. Audiences were thrilled by the spectacular results and plans are being made for next years joint event.

The two plays provided a contrast between 19 th Century and 20 th Century Armenian culture. The Bride, by Zabel Asadour, translated by Nishan Parlakian and directed by Cynthia Ohanian, reflected 19 th century social mores between a son and his conniving mother and sister when he brings home his innocent and bold new wife. Yet many in the audience remarked that the humorous and insightful play has stood the test of time remarkably. The finely tuned cast featured Siobhan Parisi, Dana Jacks, Denise Dmirjian and Peter Tedeschi.

The 20 th century then came alive with Armenian Voices, by Lisa Kirazian, and directed by Zoya Kachadurian, portraying Armenians in the homeland and in America during the 1990s, via a series of monologues unified by a female narrator seeking resolution in her own Armenian American identity. The diverse and talented cast featured Demetra Balodimas, Marika Daciuk, Frieda Lipp, Siobhan Parisi, Brett Maughan and Joyce Feurring.

The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance is an exciting new organization whose mission is to make the Armenian voice heard on the world stage through the dramatic arts of theatre and film. Based in Cambridge, MA, and founded in September 2005, ADAA's goal is to establish a presence for Armenian voices to be heard in popular culture. “We feel there is a commonality between the different disciplines of film and playwriting; they come to one point of convergence, that of story-telling." says ADAA’s president and playwright Bianca Bagatourian. The ADAA website is a much needed source for Armenian stories, old and new.  Events in Boston and the West Coast are also in the works. To access ADAA's extensive directory of artists, find out about their award program, and read plays and scripts in their archives, or to see what’s on in Armenian drama visit http://www.armeniandrama.org.

Since December 2002, GARTAL has been an independent forum for both established and emerging writers of Armenian descent and/or writers dealing with Armenian themes to read their poetry, fiction, nonfiction and dramatic texts to the public. Coordinated by writer Nancy Agabian, GARTAL brings together, via the dual acts of reading and listening, diverse Armenian constituencies, from the progressive to the traditional. A particular effort is made to give voice to Armenian stories that haven't been widely heard, including those of mixed race, various religions, different economic backgrounds, and gay and lesbian Armenians. Their next reading in New York is May 7, 2006. Email gartalreading@yahoo.com for more information.