Recently the "Betros Atamian" theater group of the "Sanahin" Chapter of Hamazkayin Montreal, in the context of cooperation between the Canadian Chapters of Hamazkayin, performed "The Italian Straw Hat" comedy in Toronto.
The original play was written in the second half of the 19th century, in French. The Lebanese Armenian emeritus director Varuzhan Khedeshian translated the play, and the Hamazkayin Central Executive Board member Vicken Tufenkjian prepared the play and staged it.
The Hamazkayin “Gladzor” Chapter of Toronto invited the theater group to perform the comedy, and Two Masks Theater was the organizer of the performance, which took place on Saturday, December 10, 2016, at the "Hamazkayin" Theater Hall.
It was a great chance for the Armenian Community of Toronto to enjoy the performance full of so many ridiculous epizodes and situations, where the Italian straw hat, in unexpected and weird circumstances, became a real treat for its recipients, for those who accidentally see it, and for the foreigner groom ready for marriage.
The audience really enjoyed the fun-filled performance consisting of 5 acts. The large number of actors displayed very active play on the stage. Their continuous movements, group exits, and entrances made an impression of a beehive. Not only the highly professional play of the main role actors, but also the play of the secondary role actors impressed the audience.
The troup reached this success due to the hard work of its beginner or experienced 24 actors playing primary or secondary roles, and also thanks to the respectable director’s skillful staging, which really deserved appreciation and encouragement.
After four successful performances in Montreal, the troupe performed "The Italian Straw Hat" for the Armenian Community of Toronto, which also enjoyed it very much.
At the end of this initiative, Vice Chairperson of the Hamazkayin ″Gladzor" Chapter, Ara Hasserjian thanked the large family of "Betros Atamian" theater, as well as those who devotedly serve the Armenian culture and made great efforts for implementing this project.
Betty Panossian