The Russian Drama Theater of Stepanakert, which will be opened in 2023. In September, along with the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, he was expelled from his native land, in 2024. On November 15-22, he participated in the "Arctic Stage" theater festival in Murmansk, as a result of which he was awarded two prizes: a special diploma of the professional jury "For the preservation of the Russian language" and the alternative jury "Preservation of the Russian language, culture and demonstration of an active civic position through dramatic performance" for" special diploma.
The international debut of the Youth Theater, which was created in Stepanakert in 2022 at the initiative of the head of the Russian community of Nagorno-Karabakh, Alexander Bordov, was realized with the support of the DIALOG organization.
It was this organization and Dr. Samvel Karakhanyan who consistently supported the establishment of a theater in Stepanakert. It is also thanks to the support of the DIALOG organization that the Artsakh theater group is fully functioning in Yerevan today.
In Murmansk, the capital of the Russian Arctic, among the 14 theaters of five countries, the Russian Drama Theater of Stepanakert stood out with the performance "With a Whole Voice" directed by the artistic director of the theater Zhanna Krikorova based on the works of Vladimir Mayakovsky.
One can understand the feelings and emotions of actors Marta Altunyan, Zoya Sargsyan, Rudolph Hayriyan, Bella Patvakanyan, Eliza Krikoryan, Emma Ogoltsova and Harutyun Andreasyan on stage, for whom this performance was the last in Stepanakert.
At that time, in July 2023, in the besieged Nagorno-Karabakh, the Stepanakert intelligentsia gathered around this theatrical performance and looked for hope in every word, without losing faith in justice. That was the case with every theater performance that coincided with that difficult period in Artsakh.
The same cast gave a new meaning and significance to this hallowed play in January 2024 already in Yerevan, when "Ogh Tsedov" became the first performance on the Yerevan stage after the revival of the theater in Armenia.
And here is already an arctic stage. Here too, through Zhanna Krikorova's performance, combining Mayakovsky's approach to unjust phenomena a century ago and Artsakh's voice regarding similar manifestations in modern times, Artsakh actors once again demonstrated their attitude towards what happened to their native land and what is happening around us today. Jury members, festival participants and residents of Murmansk, among whom there were many local Armenians, perceived the play through the history of the theater itself and the difficult path it took, which can be considered a civic feat.
After the performance, the chairman of the Murmansk Cultural Committee and the head of the regional department of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia, Yelena Krinzhina, emphasized exactly that, the successful presentation of one's own history through the works of the great Russian poet.
He thanked the actors for their wonderful performance and stage speech, and the director for the flexible artistic solutions to the difficult problems of the performance.
On behalf of the organizing committee of the festival, Yelena Krinzhina expressed thanks from the stage to the head of the DIALOG organization present in the hall, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Drama Theater of Stepanakert, Yuri Navoyan, for preserving cultural traditions, developing the Armenian-Russian intercultural dialogue and ensuring the theater's participation in the festival.
In his turn, commenting on the benefit of the young theater at the international festival, Yuri Navoyan described it as a regular stage of theater development and a new dimension in the Armenian-Russian humanitarian cooperation. "Even at the beginning of this year, when the theater was located in Yerevan under new conditions, one of the directions of our cooperation with the revived Artsakh theater group was its active participation in the Armenian-Russian dialogue.
We characterized it as the creation of a new dimension in the humanitarian cooperation between the Armenian and Russian peoples, involving the rich and original flavor of Artsakh. And that interesting and positive phenomenon was confirmed in Murmansk." It should be noted that the team of the DIALOG organization, friends, associates and members of the Board of Trustees of the theater provide necessary conditions for the creative development of the institution since the stage of its activity in Stepanakert.
after its revival, the theater works on a permanent basis, a theater workshop and a youth studio were created next to it, and famous theater platforms are rented for performances. "Bohemian" theater, Yerevan H. Stages of Tumanyan State Puppet Theater, Yerevan Youth Audience Theater, Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema, hall of "Ani" hotel. It should also be noted that the "Dom Moscow" and "Dom A" centers hosted one performance each, and in 2023. During the month of October, the theater rehearsed at the "Russian House" in Yerevan.
According to the Board of Trustees of the Russian Drama Theater of Stepanakert, interesting events await the audience in the near future with the participation of the main troupe, the artists of the youth studio, as well as with the performances of the theater's artistic director and invited directors. The theater's multi-genre schedule will also be enriched with plays by Armenian playwrights.
In general, under the new conditions, the revival and operation of the Stepanakert Russian Drama Theater is one of the successful examples of the institutional preservation of the Artsakh institution and the cultural representation of Artsakh.
"Noev Kovcheg" monthly, number 1, 2025
