Activities

Cultural

Vanadzor Hovhannes Abelyan State Drama Theatre

Lori

The theatre opened in 1931 as the State Theatre of Gharakilisa (Vanadzor’s old name) and was the third theatre in Armenia. Before it was founded, actors toured the region in amateur troupes. One of them, Hovhannes Abelyan, helped them so much that the new theatre was named after him.Over the years the stage hosted major actors such as Vahram Papazyan, Hrachya Nersisyan and Arus Voskanyan. The 1980s were the theatre’s peak. It toured Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” to France, Lithuania, Portugal and Latvia, and it kept working after the 1988 earthquake. It also kept working through the 1990s, when the roof leaked and there was no heating. The theatre works with the Vanadzor branch of the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, whose students often appear in its productions. Its repertoire covers classical, world, Armenian and contemporary drama.

Cultural

Mher Mkrtchyan Artistic Theatre

Yerevan

The Mher Mkrtchyan Artistic Theatre was founded in 1986 through the efforts of the beloved actor Mher (Frunzik) Mkrtchyan. It was originally named after director Vardan Ajemyan. It opened with Marcel Pagnol’s “The Baker’s Wife,” which Mkrtchyan staged himself while playing the title role. That part became his swan song, and after his death in 1993, the theatre was renamed in his honor. From 2000 until 2018, it was led by his brother, film director Albert Mkrtchyan. The theatre is located at 18 Khorenatsi Street and is run by the municipality. In 2024, it was fully renovated, with a new 160-seat stage and modern lighting and sound, and reopened with Yevgeny Schwartz’s “An Ordinary Miracle.” What you can do there: see Armenian-language comedies and dramas in an intimate, newly renovated hall dedicated to one of Armenia’s most beloved actors

Cultural

Hrachya Ghaplanyan Drama Theatre

Yerevan

The Yerevan Drama Theatre named after Hrachya Ghaplanyan was founded in 1967 by the director whose name it bears. It opened with Ghaplanyan’s own staging of Vishnevsky’s “Optimistic Tragedy.” The theatre is located at 28 Isahakyan Street in the Kentron district and is run by the Yerevan municipality. A statue of its founder stands in the lobby. Since 1986 the artistic director has been People’s Artist of Armenia Armen Khandikyan. The theatre has toured to festivals in Georgia, Russia, Poland, Hungary, the UK and the USA, winning numerous awards. What you can do there: see classic Armenian plays alongside contemporary and international drama, performed by one of Yerevan’s most established troupes.

Cultural

The Yerevan Theatre of the Young Spectator

Yerevan

The Yerevan Theatre of the Young Spectator was founded in 1929 by director Tigran Shamirkhanyan and opened with the play “Explosion.” It was the first children’s theatre in Armenia. It is located at 3 Moskovyan Street in the city centre and is run by the Yerevan municipality. Many major figures of Armenian theatre began their careers here. Among them was Hrachya Ghaplanyan, who staged 28 productions on this stage before founding his own theatre. What you can do there: bring children and teenagers to fairy tales, adaptations of Armenian and world literature, and youth-oriented drama

Cultural

Small Theatre (Vahan Badalyan)

Yerevan

The Small Theatre is part of the Henrik Igityan National Center of Aesthetics, whose headquarters are on Abovyan Street in the city center. It grew out of a drama studio and is led by artistic director Vahan Badalyan. It has become one of Armenia’s most innovative companies. In 2014, together with the British Council and the UK’s Candoco Dance Company, it created Armenia’s first inclusive dance company, in which disabled and non-disabled performers dance side by side. That company’s first performance, “Ne me quitte pas” (Don’t Leave Me), won the Artavazd National Theatre Award. The theatre also runs educational programs for young people and has toured abroad, including to the UK, Georgia and Kazakhstan.

Cultural

The Henrik Malyan Film Actor Theatre

Yerevan

The Henrik Malyan Film Actor Theatre was founded in 1980 by Henrik Malyan, one of Soviet Armenia’s most important film directors, best known for “Nahapet” (1977). It began as a theatre-studio for film actors, opening with “Instructive Fairy Tales of My Homeland,” which Malyan directed himself. The theatre was renamed after him in 1988, the year he died. Today it is led by his daughter, Narine Malyan.

Cultural

Armenian State Song Theatre

Yerevan

The Armenian State Song Theatre was founded in 1994 by composer and People’s Artist of Armenia Artur Grigoryan, who led it as artistic director until his death in 2022. For three decades, it has been a training ground for Armenian pop and stage singers, and hundreds of performers were shaped by Grigoryan’s mentorship. Around its 30th anniversary, the theatre was renovated and fitted with modern sound and lighting, keeping the style its founder established. Its productions include “The Komitas Project,” a musical show built on the folk-song heritage preserved by Komitas. What you can do there: attend concert-style musical shows and song programs that range from Armenian folk heritage to contemporary pop.

Cultural

Yerevan State Chamber Theatre

Yerevan

The Yerevan State Chamber Theatre officially opened on December 15, 1981. Its founder and artistic director is Ara Yernjakyan. The troupe began as the KVN comedy team of the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute, which became the first team to represent Armenia at the All-Union KVN games in Moscow in 1971–1972. The theatre is at 58 Mashtots Avenue. It works with its own creative method, the “Identification System,” which aims for direct interaction between stage and audience. Its productions range from satire and comedy to Shakespeare and musical shows, and it has won awards at festivals in Russia, Germany, Sweden, France, and elsewhere. A jazz trio has added live music to its performances since 1983. What you can do there: see productions with a strong comic and musical streak, from satirical sketches to reworked classics.