REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
”…there’s a fearlessness to the performance and its examination of the cultural and corporeal aspects of gender as a continuum”
– Aram Kouyoumdjian (Winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting “The Farewells” & directing “Three Hotels”)
”The creators of the piece are searching for answers and bring the audience into that process. This is a performance, but in addition to being a captivating one, it’s also a collaborative one”
– Jason McLean (co-founder, Forget-the-Box, Montreal)
”…even the relationship between audience members and performers was queered… I was also reminded of how my body’s movements match that of my mother’s, how histories of genocide/displacement and impending rage/trauma/pain breathe from our bones through our skin”
– Kim Villagante (creator/performer/facilitator, Vancouver)
”A marvelous work of staged performance. Smooth, intense, wise, poetic and above all, non-pretentious – all so elegant and profound. An unforgettable work indeed”
– Anahid Keshishian (UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)
”Boudakian and Abrahamian confront Armen and her history in a way that is equally informed and confounded by the enigmatic dancer from Shamakha. Identity, loss, and a people’s trauma that seems to transcend borders and generations carries the play to a powerful climax…”
– Mohamed Chakmakchi (REORIENT Mag)
”…an insightful coming-of-age story that weaves together complex narratives about ethnicity, gender, family, and survival…”
– Gillian Edevane (EastBay Express)
”…begins to open up conversation about the dismissal of Armenian women’s experiences through their own silence; an ingrained refusal to share that which is foreign to our Garo”
– Jen Scholten (ThruMag, Portland)
”Dear Armen is confrontational because it advances a threatened voice; yet, the voice is threatening. It demands to be heard. Esoteric on various levels, Dear Armen motivates viewers/participants to peel away layers and value nuance”