‘The Way We Were’ Ensemble Performs ‘Gamavor’ Shows

A successful spring season crowned the efforts of the troupe “The Way We Were,” with their production of the musical “The Hye Legion-Gamavor”—a popular hit with audiences in Armenian churches and organizations up and down the East Coast.

In April, the ensemble performed in the Providence Masonic Temple. The Hamazkayin of Providence sponsored the program. There was laughter, tears, and sing-alongs, as the Rhode Island audience closely identified with the Gamavor heroes of the historic drama. That warm, personal relationship was evident in the program notes, which listed the names of 29 Providence Gamavor men who had volunteered to go back into the hell-fire of the genocide.

Yeretsgin Joanna Baghsarian of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, said, “This is a story of men—genocide survivors themselves—who left the safety of their homes in the U. S. and returned to Historic Armenia to search and rescue survivors and orphans. … [The troupe] is a

labor of love by [Director] Hourig Papazian-Sahagian. Many Armenians are unaware of the history of the Gamavor Movement. However, Hourig made history come alive on stage.”

M. Manoog Kaprielian critiqued the program: “I enjoyed the production on many levels because it touched me in a real way by events separated by eight decades. The beautiful

three-generation-deep cast of Armenian Americans on stage brought me back and launched me forward at the same time. What a wonderful way to call our attention to this most honorable time in our recent history. The story brought not only the Gamavors’ descendants, but all of us, much closer to that history. The cast provided justice and meaning to the songs that endure to deliver their timeless message for all generations, now and in the future.”

Audiences at St. Stepanos Church in Elberon, N.J., at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, N.Y., and at St. Gregory Church of North Andover, Mass., had similar reactions. Audiences there hastened to recount stories to the cast—of a grandfather, an uncle, or a cousin who “went Gamavor” from their own towns. As with all Gamavor shows, the old patriotic songs inspired some lusty singing along with the cast of 35 actors, singers, and musicians.

The Hye Legion-Gamavor” musical, traces adventures, victories, defeats, and even love and romance! “The Way We Were” troupe will bring this exciting production to a number of communities on the East Coast with their fall line-up of performances. The first of these takes place on Sun., Sept. 29, in St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in White Plaines, N.Y. Save the date!