A collaboration of the Sos Sargsyan Hamazgayin State Theater (Armenia) and Chekhov International Theatre Festival (Russia)
(16+ )
After successful performances at the Chekhov Festival in Moscow, the show Penelope, Oh, Penelope (the world premiere was held at the XVII Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow) by renowned French playwright and director of Armenian descent Simon Abkarian is heading to Vladivostok.
At the recently held 25th National Theatre Awards “Artavazd,” the theatre received three awards for the production “Penelope, OH, Penelope”: Best Actor (Narek Baghdasaryan), Best Music, as well as a Special Prize and a separate commendation awarded to the production’s director, Simon Abkarian. The production features leading actors from the Hamazgayin Theatre, and the title role will be played by the theatre's artistic director, actress, director, and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia Narine Grigoryan, known to festival audience for her productions of Boule de Suif, Buffalo, and Mumu – a joint production of the Moscow Taganka Theatre and the Chekhov International Theatre Festival.
For Simon Abkarian, director and playwright, the theme of family and war is deeply personal: his family's harmony was destroyed by the Lebanese Civil War, after which they were never able to gather together again – in whichever country.
Penelope, O Penelope is a new, unexpected and original take on the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and mother of Telemachus, one of the central figures in Homer's Odyssey. Throughout Greek mythology and culture, the name "Penelope" has always been associated with a strong female character and fidelity. In Simon Abkarian's version, Penelope exemplifies devotion not only to Odysseus, for whom she waits 20 years to return from the war, but also to the moral paradigm that composes her world. The play focuses on the struggle between two value systems. The value of family, loyalty to one's roots and origins, and the right to remain oneself — Penelope embodies this principle. The play's other pole is Antaeus, who insists on Odysseus's death, persistently courting the heroine not out of love for her, but out of a desire to marry the queen. He is a young predator, ready to go over the heads, for whom nothing is sacred except material wealth and money. A distinct theme of the play is that of Odysseus, returning home, weary of war, and pledging pacifism. The spirit of Anticlea, his deceased mother, plays a special role here, insisting that a person must always be able to defend their world, otherwise it will collapse.
Conforming to the canon of classicism, all the events of the play take place on a single day – Saturday. The characters of Penelope, O Penelope defend their truth and await Sunday and spiritual resurrection.
At the recently held 25th National Theatre Awards “Artavazd,” the theatre received three awards for the production “Penelope, OH, Penelope”: Best Actor (Narek Baghdasaryan), Best Music, as well as a Special Prize and a separate commendation awarded to the production’s director, Simon Abkarian. The production features leading actors from the Hamazgayin Theatre, and the title role will be played by the theatre's artistic director, actress, director, and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia Narine Grigoryan, known to festival audience for her productions of Boule de Suif, Buffalo, and Mumu – a joint production of the Moscow Taganka Theatre and the Chekhov International Theatre Festival.
For Simon Abkarian, director and playwright, the theme of family and war is deeply personal: his family's harmony was destroyed by the Lebanese Civil War, after which they were never able to gather together again – in whichever country.
Penelope, O Penelope is a new, unexpected and original take on the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and mother of Telemachus, one of the central figures in Homer's Odyssey. Throughout Greek mythology and culture, the name "Penelope" has always been associated with a strong female character and fidelity. In Simon Abkarian's version, Penelope exemplifies devotion not only to Odysseus, for whom she waits 20 years to return from the war, but also to the moral paradigm that composes her world. The play focuses on the struggle between two value systems. The value of family, loyalty to one's roots and origins, and the right to remain oneself — Penelope embodies this principle. The play's other pole is Antaeus, who insists on Odysseus's death, persistently courting the heroine not out of love for her, but out of a desire to marry the queen. He is a young predator, ready to go over the heads, for whom nothing is sacred except material wealth and money. A distinct theme of the play is that of Odysseus, returning home, weary of war, and pledging pacifism. The spirit of Anticlea, his deceased mother, plays a special role here, insisting that a person must always be able to defend their world, otherwise it will collapse.
Conforming to the canon of classicism, all the events of the play take place on a single day – Saturday. The characters of Penelope, O Penelope defend their truth and await Sunday and spiritual resurrection.
Performance gallery
11 photo
