Hourig Papazian-Sahagian Earns a Curtain Call

All the world’s her stage.

That’s how Hourig Papazian-Sahagian views life—with tinsel-coated eyeglasses and a colorful script that’s both perpetual and meaningful.

How else would you describe an 83-year-old protagonist who’s given the Armenian Fine Arts a stroke of sunshine and good fortune during these dreary times?

It’s 20 years and counting for this diva with her hit “Hello Ellis Island.” As founder of her New Jersey Hamazkayin group “The Way We Were,” every good show deserves a sequel.

This is a show about the plight of immigrants aboard a dream ship bound for Ellis Island with the task of building a new life in America. Their stories are told through song, dance, and traditions—some sad, some whimsical, always sublime.

There are some nostalgic ballads (well-remembered but long-forgotten), some romantic dances, and a slapstick number that brings the house down.

As Hourig begins her farewell tour with the production, yet another is in the works called “Hye Legion: The Gamavor Story.” It falls in line with Hourig’s passion as a playwright, along with her love and respect for the Armenian American.

It’s been a long and respected career that has taken her through 20 years of Armenian Prelacy work as executive director of the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC), as principal of the Hovnanian Armenian School, and trailblazer for the Siamanto Academy, which she helped launch 30 years ago.

Sixty years ago, she was invited by Levon Shant, the educator and playwright, to travel to Beirut and assist him in establishing a primary school division at the Palanjian Jemaran based on Armenian educational philosophies.

Following his death, Hourig continued working with Simon Vratzian. The three-year mission gratified her need to fill a cultural void and live in an Armenian world.

Somewhere along the line, she helped edit an Armenian Atlas, conducted teacher workshops and seminars, not to mention her role as a mother-of-three and grandmother-of-eight.

She taught choral and instrumental music in the New Jersey public schools and served as a pianist/public speaker at numerous community events. Hourig was also a devoted ARS member.

The creation of “The Way We Were” became her retirement project, resulting in many presentations along the East Coast and beyond. Hourig describes herself as “an orphaned child” of the Armenian Diaspora.

More to the point, she refuses to bury Gomidas or any survivor who escaped the genocide and found a new home in America.

“The traditional folk and art songs of the past have totally disappeared,” she tells you. “I’m reviving them. It’s a tribute to preceding generations who established a network of churches, charitable outlets, political and cultural organizations to keep the heritage alive in a diaspora.”

The troupe represents every Armenian church and political persuasion, if not organization. They decided a long time ago to remain neutral. Every invitation to perform is rewarded by a monetary gift in return. Members have grown rich in spirit and enthusiasm.

Hourig’s debut with showbiz actually dated back to 1970 when she and close friend Sosy (Krikorian) Kadian created a duet—the Hourig & Sosy Dance-Song Stylists—in which they staged vignettes of historic, traditional Armenian life.

Virtuoso Onnik Dinkjian sang and played the oud while his son Ara, then eight, handled the dumbeg. They toured the circuit and entertained to their heart’s content. Out of it was born “The Way We Were.” When Sosy retired from the troupe three years ago, Hourig carried on alone, through sickness and in health.

A hip replacement was recently delayed so a production date could be filled. Watching her direct a show while playing the keyboard, one would never have noticed any discomfort. The show went on without a hitch.

Closer to home, I personally owe a debt of gratitude to Hourig for all the years she assisted me when I taught Armenian School at St. Gregory Church in North Andover. Sossy Jeknavorian, the current superintendent-director, can also vouch for the same, not to mention any educator who was touched by this woman.

Now, here she is, on the threshold of greater visibility with a pan-Armenian touring ensemble that knows no hiatus. Too bad she doesn’t have a grant writer to handle the accounts for this typical non-profit.

With an average age of 70-plus, it’s a group that could easily qualify for Social Security but in the words of one member, “Theater is the best medicine any doctor couldn’t prescribe.” It’s their “fountain of youth.”

“The relations that have developed over the decades are that of a loving and caring family,” Hourig notes. “We’re working on finding some spouses for our singles.”

“The Way We Were” is an independent entity and is not sponsored by any organization.

Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.
Tom Vartabedian

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1 Comment

  1. Hi Tom…
    Congratulations  are in order… Very nice article about Hourig Papazian-Sahagian.  Hourig is a very talented lady.  In the early 1950s she established the kindergarten grades in “Djemaran”, Beirut Lebanon.
    I do not have her email, I would like to send her this video clip about Djemaran shot in 1954.  (Unfortunately due to the age of the film it lost its color and the resolution.)  
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgXdCbHBDm4
    I hope she can see it.
    Thank you Tom for the nice articles you write.  Keep the good work.
    Best wishes, Hrayr 

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