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.