A new age of Armenian artists performed this week with an unusual and evocative method- interactive storytelling.

In the modern setting of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation building, in Nanor Petrosyan’s Rewriting the History piece, the storytellers, seven young men and women sat in front of an audience to share their knowledge and thoughts about various periods in recent Armenian history, from 1990 until 2008.  With topics ranging from the Artsakh movement to the ‘96 election protests to the 1991 break with the Soviet Union, controversy was thick and opinions were loud. But this presentation was not simply a roundtable to discuss these events – this was a performance.

Actors placed amongst the crowd, unbeknownst to attendees, frequently stood to speak out against the experiences and opinions of the youth on stage. An old man reminiscing Soviet times, a grieving grandmother, a intellectual, and a revolutionary “interrupted” the presentation at key points to share their point of view. Most contrasted sharply with the colloquial knowledge held by the young men and women, and arguments began over what was more correct: documented online records or in person experiences. All the while, poignant footage from the historical periods played above the actors heads, making the atmosphere tense and heated.

The performance started calm, with discussions relatively placid, but as time wore on, emotions flared and voices rose. It all ended with an explosive shouting match between the overwhelmed moderator and the passionate revolutionary.

Director Nano Petrosyan explains, “the performance examines the ways history is documented and the experiences and opinions that leave their trace on the way historic events are amalgamated.”  

Whether or not their message was conveyed is unknown, if that was even their intent, but the evening is sure to be remembered for some time as a pointed and effective way to hold an audience’s attention.