Bay Area Premiere
Nine Armenians
by Leslie Ayvazian
An Armenian-American family’s journey towards accepting the past and embracing the future.
Nine Armenians is the story of three generations of Armenian-Americans embracing the future by connecting with their history. In this award-winning play, Leslie Ayvazian has beautifully depicted the reality of facing a horrific past without shame or fear. The Armenian Genocide is a particularly sensitive subject, as the Turkish government has never acknowledged it. The playwright takes a risk by shedding light on the painful recollections of the past. But isn’t this validation the only way to reach understanding and restore faith in the future?
March 29, 2002 - April 14, 2002
Magic Theater
Building D, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
Written by Leslie Ayvazian
Directed by Torange Yeghiazarian
Featuring Atosa Babaoff*, Toby Brooks, Valerie de Jose*, Vida Ghahremani, Behzad Golemohammadi, Joe Higgins*, Earll Kingston*, Lara Palanjian, Ruby Unger*
Design Team: Zara Houshmand (scenic), Robert Ted Anderson (lighting), Rebecca Feller (costumes), Saeed Ganji (sound), Homayoun Makui (Graphic)
Dramaturgy by Hal Gelb
Winner of Roger L. Stevens and the Susan Smith Blackburn Award.
Nine Armenians has been presented at the Mark Taper Forum in LA, the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Intiman Theatre in Seattle.
Cast & Crew
Leslie Ayvazian
Playwright
Leslie Ayvazian
Ms. Ayvazian is the recipient of the Roger L. Stevens and the Susan Smith Blackburn award for Nine Armenians. She also received a fellowship from the New Jersey Council of the Arts and assistance from the New Harmony Writers Project in developing this play.Her numerous works have been produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in major regional theatres.In addition to her writing achievements, Ms. Ayvazian is an accomplished actress and teacher.
Torange Yeghiazarian
Director
Torange Yeghiazarian
Torange Yeghiazarian writes, acts and directs for the theatre and is the founder and Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions. Among Torange’s writing/directing credits are ABAGA, The Myth of Creation; Publicly Resting; Behind Glass Windows; Operation No Penetration; Lysistrata 97! and Waves. She has performed in a number of plays and independent films. Born in Iran, Torange received her Masters degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with the San Francisco Mime Troupe in creating the melodrama, TORCH!