On September 26, the curtain rose in Alaverdi for the 32nd time on the International Festival "Theater Lori," dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the first Armenian professional theater—now the Petros Adamyan Theater in Tbilisi.
The festival was solemnly opened by the Alaverdi Drama Theater with performances based on Tumanyan's motifs. David Gumashyan, head of the Alaverdi community, welcomed the attendees and emphasized that the large flow of people streaming to the theater every evening turns Alaverdi into a cultural center and proves that the resources allocated to the festival are well justified.
Hakob Ghazanchyan, President of the Theater Workers Union of Armenia and Honored Artist of Armenia, noted that "Theater Lori" is the oldest and longest-running festival in the country, founded in 1976. Starting as a festival of folk theaters, it transformed into a festival of professional theaters, and then into an international festival—all in a small town, largely thanks to the tireless efforts of festival director Hrachya Papinyan, who has managed it for 37 years of its 47-year history.
Since 2012, the festival program has included the subprogram "Days of Russian Theater," featuring Russian-language theaters from Russia, various countries around the world, and Armenia. This program is supported by the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
Vadim Fefilov, head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Yerevan branch and advisor to the Russian Embassy in Armenia, was present at the opening. He welcomed participants and spectators, emphasizing the international character of the festival, which unites theater figures from different countries. Vadim Fefilov read out a welcoming address from Tatyana Shlychkova, Executive Director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, on the occasion of the opening and presented a commemorative gift to the festival director.
Armen Bayanduryan, artistic director of the Petros Adamyan Armenian State Drama Theater in Tbilisi, delivered a speech, expressing gratitude that the 32nd anniversary festival is dedicated to the anniversary of the first Armenian professional theater. He noted that the opening of the new theater building in Tbilisi will take place in December—a major event in the theater's 170th year.
The festival was opened by the Yerevan State Pantomime Theater with the plastic performance "How to Draw a Bird." Its artistic director, Zhirayr Dadasyan, emphasized the importance of regional tours by capital theaters, which allow regions to be included in Yerevan's cultural circle.
"Theater Lori" was founded in 1976 in the village of Akner, Alaverdi community, at the initiative of prominent cultural figures Kola Koninyan, Ruben Hakobyan, and Ruslan Sadagyan. Since 1983, it has been held in Alaverdi, and since 2006, in five cities of the Lori region and the city of Noyemberyan in the Tavush region. The origins of the festival also involved USSR People's Artist Hrachya Kaplanyan and People's Artist of the Republic of Armenia Yervand Ghazanchyan.
This year, 35 theaters applied to participate in the festival, of which 20 were selected—from Armenia (Yerevan, Gyumri, Hrazdan), Serbia, Uzbekistan, Russia, and other countries. The festival will conclude on October 15. A total of 25 performances will be staged in the cities of Alaverdi and Vanadzor.