Sojourn at Ararat

"If I were handing out Tony Awards, I'd certainly bestow two of them
to Nora Armani and her co-star Gerald Papasian for their
compelling and thrilling performances in their two-man/woman play,
"Sojourn at Ararat", held at Joe's Pub in the Joe Papp Public Theater complex
in Greenwich Village. [...] What a unique idea,
so well performed and executed.
Brava and Bravo!"

George Maksian
Former TV critic and columnist
The New York Daily News

Sojourn at Ararat tells the story of a forgotten people in search of an identity and a Homeland though the simple love story between a man and a woman.

Based on English language translations of Armenian poetry spanning 2000 years from pre-Christian to modern times, evoking the music of Gomidas and Sayat Nova, this ode to life points to the absurdity of conflict and war. Scathingly humorous moments of sublime literature intertwine with poignant renditions depicting the horrors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide through vivid imagery and haunting tunes.

"In this splendid show Armenians light up their Homeland and with it all humanity" wrote Howard Purdie in The Scotsman at the show's premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1986. Since then, the show has been touring internationally in its English and French versions, illuminating the soul of the Armenian people through its literature.

The spoken sections are punctuated with songs, vocal underscores and dances. The effect is an evening of epic proportions, revealing the spirit of a people and a nation. 

photo: Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

Production History

The play premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe in 1986.  Since then it has toured on four continents in English and French and was seen in more than 25 cities worldwide, receiving accolades and awards for its original cast and creators Nora Armani and Gerald Papasian.

The North American premiere was in 1987 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Hollywood, while its creators lived and worked primarily in L.A.  It was Pick of the Week in LA Weekly and received eight Drama Logue Critics' Awards in 1988 and 1989.  It also received multiple awards in Armenia in 1991 from the Writers' Guild, the Directors' Guild and the Cinema Union.

After its North American premiere in L.A. in the late '80s, its creators were drawn to live and work primarily in Paris.  Nora Armani began to divide her time between Paris and London in the late 90's, but Gerald Papasian remained based in Paris, so when they collaborated, it was in Europe.  Four years ago, Armani returned to NYC.  The performance at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in January 2010 was a rare reunion of the duo to recreate their most successful production together.

Prior to the Public Theater's invitation, the show had enjoyed a resurgence of interest in 2007 when the duo performed the French version in Marseilles at the La Criée National Theatre  and at the St. Croix Cathedral in Paris in the framework of The Year of Armenia in France (L'Anée de l'Arménie - Arménie mon amie)

The same year, a Los Angeles production at the Fountain Theatre directed by Nora Armani with Korken Alexander and Mary Kate Schellhardt demonstrated that the play could be successfully produced without the authors in the two lead parts. 

Backstage West's Jeff Favre declared, "Sojourn at Ararat premiered 20 years ago, but the poems it incorporates remain timely and timeless -- and they are a worthwhile experience for anyone, regardless of cultural background."

Awards

• Drama Logue Critics Award: -Hollywood -Two consecutive years (Creation - Performances - Music)
• Pick of the Week:  LA Weekly - Hollywood
• Best Artistic Creation: Society of Authors - Yerevan, Armenia
• 2 Best Actor Awards - Gerald Papasian and Nora Armani - Film Directors Guild - Armenia
• 2 Best Actor Awards - Gerald Papasian and Nora Armani - Theatre Guild - Armenia
  

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Where It Was Performed:

World Premiere:

Edinburgh International Festival Fringe - with Gerald Papasian and Nora Armani in the original English version: Sojourn at Ararat

North American Premiere:

Ensemble Studio Theatre - Hollywood. “Pick of the week” LA - Weekly and 4 Drama Logue Critics’ Awards.

International Tours:

English version: New York (Joe's Pub, The Public Theater), London (Riverside Studios), Montreal (Centaur Theatre), Pasadena  (Playhouse), Boston (Double Edge Theatre), Yerevan (Sountougian National Theatre of Armenia), Washington, D.C. (Hirshhorn Museum), Sydney (Opera House), Venice (Auditorio Santa Margherita), New Jersey (Holocaust Museum - Brookdale), Chicago, Detroit (Laurence Institute), Ann Arbor (University), San Francisco, Fresno
and Beirut (BUC).
 
French version (Le Chant d'Ararat):
Paris (Salle Gaveau, Auditorium St. Germain, Théâtre de l’Ile St. Louis, Cathédrale St. Croix ), Montreal (Centaur Theatre), Lyon (Salle Molière), Geneva (Salle Centrale), Tours (La Pléiade), Nantes (Festival de Théâtres du Monde), Venice (Auditorio Santa Margherita), Rambouillet (Library), Marseille (La Criée Théâtre Nationale).

Further details available upon request.