The First Armenian Theatre

Armenian Theatre

The Theatre in Armenia has a long and colourful history. As with many countries in the region Armenian theatre has its roots in the theatre of antiquity. Interestingly, the first recorded reference to a theatre in Armenia goes back as far as 70BC. Built fourteen years before the first public theatres in Rome, it opened its doors to the public in 69BC during the reign of Tigran the Great.

Champion of Armenian Theatre
It was Tigran’s son, Artavazd II, who championed the Theatre in Armenia and wrote a number of Greek tragedies himself. He also went on to write a number of orations, historical stories and other work some which survived into the second century AD.

In Artashat, the former capital of the region, Artavazd himself commissioned the building of Armenia’s second public theatre. It was at this new theatre that the comedies of Menander and the tragedies of Euipides were shown to an eager public. These plays went down very well with the public and the theatre increasing became a part of Armenian life.

First Armenian Playwright
Due to his prominent involvement with early Armenian theatre Artavazd is considered to be the first Armenian playwright and the father of classical Armenian theatre. Records from the time tell us how, in 53 BC, the Bacchae of Euripides was directed to great applause by Artavazd himself.

Golden Age of Armenian Theatre
The 5th Century is considered by scholars to the golden age of classical Armenian theatre. It was a time when the bible was translated into Armenian and the region made great strides in medicine, technology and the theatre was no different. However, this time of creative freedom for the theatre came to an abrupt end in the 7th Century when war with their Arab neighbours resulted in an invasion and all progress stalled. The theatre was one of the few features of Armenian culture that did not suffer a decline through the 8th and 9th centuries, due to war and occupation.

Revival
It was not until the 11th century that Armenian theatre was able to make a comeback in the public eye and right through to the 14th century saw continual improvement. In fact, Armenian theatre grew to new heights with an emphasis on tragic theatre with a resurgence of epic productions from history. Incidentally, the rise of the comic theatre, which satirized the social classes, saw the theatre become much more accessible for the average patron.

In a later article I will discuss Armenian theatre from the Middle Ages where an influx of plays from Europe increased the theatres popularity and then on to the heyday of the Shakespearean plays of the 18th century.