BOSTON—For its annual commemoration of Women’s History Month in March, the Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) will present a dramatic reading from a new play, “Women of Ararat.”
A drama set between 1965 and 1975, “Women of Ararat” relates the stories of a multi-generational family of Armenian women who survived the Armenian Genocide, came to America, and live outside of Boston.
“Although sad in content, the play is also humorous and lighthearted in the way the ‘Women’ relate to one another,” said playwright Judith Boyajian Strang-Waldau.
Written to commemorate the genocide’s upcoming 100th anniversary in 2015, the play is designed to educate those who may not know of this period in history, and also to make viewers more mindful and responsive to those around the globe who are or have been victims of political injustice.
The story is based on the author’s family history and spotlights the multiple effects of the Armenian Genocide on its survivors, children, and grandchildren living in the United States.
The reading, to be followed by a discussion, will take place on Sun., March 24, at 3 p.m. at the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) in Arlington. The talented cast includes Nancy Tutunjian Berger, June Murphy Katz, Judy Davis, Jennifer Guzelian Flanagan, Joy Renjilian Burgy, and Sofie Refojo.
“Recently we’ve seen a number of Armenian women authors who have written dramas about various aspects of the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath,” said Barbara Merguerian, the director of AIWA’s Archives and Women’s Information Center, the sponsor of the reading. She cited Joyce Van Dyke’s “Deported/a dream play,” Adriana Sevahn Nichols’s “Night over Erzinga,” and Bianca Bagatourian’s “March,” among others. “Drama provides unique perspectives for exploring the many facets of genocide, and has the potential to reach large audiences who might not otherwise be receptive,” she observed.
“Women of Ararat” is the first play by Judith Boyajian Strang-Waldau. The recipient of degrees in piano and vocal performance, as well as in arts management, she has served in the marketing and development departments of the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Circle in the Square Theatre in New York, Olympia Dukakis’s Whole Theatre in Montclair, N.J., and most recently the New England Conservatory. With a studio of 40 piano and voice students, Strang-Waldau currently chairs the Harvard Musical Association’s High School Achievement Awards scholarship program. She has one daughter, Victoria, and lives in Sherborn with her husband Paul, dogs Rosie and Atticus Finch, and her cat Pavlova.
The reading of “Women of Ararat” is free and open to the public. For more information about the play or about AIWA’s programs to increase the visibility of Armenian women, call (617) 926-0171, e-mail aiwainc@aol.com, or visit www.aiwa international.org.
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