SACRAMENTO – Aram Kouyoumdjian’s "The Delicate Lines" was named among the nominees for Best Original Script as the Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance recently announced the nominations of its annual Elly Awards. "Protest," a shorter solo performance work by Kouyoumdjian–won a Best Actor nomination for J.D. Rudometkin.
"The Delicate Lines" follows the story of an Armenian woman in the aftermath of the Genocide as she struggles with her poet brother’s descent into madness and with her conflicted love for his best friend. Its companion piece–"Protest," is a partly-autobiographical work constructed around a demonstration against Turkish denials of the Genocide.
"It is immensely satisfying to see plays about the Genocide win such recognition within the theater community," Kouyoumdjian said.
"The Delicate Lines" received its world premiere this April at California Stage in Sacramento–where it played to capacity crowds before moving to similar sold-out performances in San Francisco and Los Angeles. "Protest" is currently under consideration for production by the Finborough Theatre in London this fall.
The nomination is Kouyoumdjian’s second consecutive citation in the playwriting category. He won the Best Original Script award last year for "The Farewells." He has an additional Elly for directing ("Three Hotels").
Rudometkin is a repeat nominee as well–having previously been short-listed as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Caryl Churchill’s "Far Away," also directed by Kouyoumdjian.
Kouyoumdjian–an associate member of the Dramatists Guild–is currently collaborating on the script of "Little Armenia," which has been commissioned by the Fountain Theatre and is slated for production early next year.