Aram Kouyoumdjian
So far as I know, Armenian performance art in Los Angeles has not
confronted issues of gender and sexual identity ever since Nancy Agabian
left these parts for the East Coast over a decade ago. Perhaps that’s
what makes “Dear Armen” – a still-developing, yet daring multi-genre
study of a transgender Armenian that’s currently touring L.A. and San
Francisco – such a fresh and intriguing work of theater.
Admittedly a work in progress, “Dear Armen” played a single
performance for a sold-out, supportive crowd on Monday, Oct. 27, at the
Levantine Cultural Center in L.A.’s Mid-City region; it has now moved on
to the Bay Area for a two-weekend run with Golden Thread Productions.
Created by Lee Williams Boudakian and Kamee Abrahamian, and comprised
of monologues and dialogues, dance sequences, musical interludes, and
direct interaction with audience members, “Dear Armen” is a rather
revelatory piece – albeit one that needs both artistic and technical
polish.
“Dear Armen” revolves around Garo (born Garineh), “a genderqueer
writer and student,” who dispenses with gender-specific pronouns by
referring to himself/herself as “they.” Garo is researching the life of
Armen Ohanian, an enigmatic historical figure who garnered fame
performing exotic Oriental dances early in the 20th century, when the
style of free interpretive dance was coming into vogue.
Ohanian, who was actually born Sophia Pirboudaghian in present-day
Azerbaijan, kept her first husband’s last name, even though her marriage
to him was short-lived. She did, however, change her first name –
initially to Armenuhi, then to Armen – as she performed in Tehran,
throughout the Ottoman Empire, and in Europe; later, she became a
writer, a memoirist, and a political activist.
In the opening moments of “Dear Armen,” we see Garo immersed in the
research process. This glacially paced sequence (reminiscent of a
Paradjanov scene) leaves much time for the audience to ponder the
inhospitable venue for the performance – an intimate art gallery space
with makeshift seating and rudimentary lights.
Fortunately, the pace quickly picks up, as Garo’s research into
Ohanian turns into a journey of self-discovery. Garo believes that
Ohanian had a “budding queer identity,” in light of her intimate
relationship with lesbian poet Natalie Barney; the refuge she sought
behind metaphorical masks; and her decidedly male-gendered name.
Queer identity for Garo leads to conflict, since his family – raised
in the conservative traditions of Middle Eastern countries – can only
see him as Garineh. Their ensuing confrontations occasionally resonate
as cliché, but “Dear Armen” manages to avoid undue sentimentality.
That’s because Garineh is never depicted as a weak victim. Rather, she
has the fortitude to push back and refuse to bear the shame her family
tries to inflict upon her. Perhaps she’s not the “good Armenian girl”
her family wanted her to be; but, as she points out, “that doesn’t make
me bad.” She is equally resistant to religious guilt, proclaiming, “I am
not a disgrace to God.”
Most of the time, Garo/Garineh is portrayed by Boudakian, while
Abrahamian performs the dances that punctuate the work. Both are
engaging actresses, but it can be difficult to distinguish the various
secondary roles they assume. In certain instances, Abrahamian stands in
for Garo/Garineh, illustrating the fluidity of identity construction.
The dance sequences, which alternate between tame and audacious, can
be better incorporated into the text, since their connection to Ohanian
seems tenuous at times. Indeed, organically merging Ohanian’s life with
that of Garo/Garineh often proves the production’s biggest challenge.
Expository biographical passages verge on lecture, and voice-over
segments featuring Ohanian’s writings are poorly timed.
Nevertheless, there’s a fearlessness to the performance and its
examination of the cultural and corporeal aspects of gender as a
continuum. “Dear Armen” provides an ambitious historical and artistic
context for the topic that will surely deepen as Boudakian and
Abrahamian continue fine-tuning this promising work.
"Asbarez," October 31, 2014
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