Today marks 15 years since the death of the Bulgarian director Prof. Krikor Azaryan (1934-2009).
"The most important and most difficult thing nowadays is to remain human. There are no recipes for that", he used to say.
"Don't go on stage if you don't have anything to say," he says. According to him, being on stage should not be an obligation, nor an opportunity for expression, but above all an inner spiritual need.
"In order to make a play, I have to believe that the characters do not tell lies".
He notes that the argument about whether theater is an independent art form or an appendage to literature is like that of the chicken and the egg. "Theater can certainly exist without Aeschylus and Shakespeare, it can exist without words, but why give them up, since it becomes richer that way," says Azaryan.
In his words, art is primarily an attempt to see the invisible. It deals with what is beyond the obvious, because it is much different from what is seen in reality.
"Prof. Azaryan taught through questions, asking: what is this scene about, what is the driving force of the action, what is happening... He looked you in the eye and expected you to answer. What he cared most about was that the actor should think – think on behalf of the character", says Kamen Donev about his teacher at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Krikor Azaryan began his teaching career in 1970 as an assistant to Prof. Zhelcho Mandadzhiev at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts – Krastyo Sarafov. Since 1976, he has been teaching a class in acting and directing, and since 1988 he has been a professor. His assistants at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts were Todor Kolev, Ivan Dobchev, Elena Baeva and Atanas Atanasov.
To his students, Krikor Azaryan is the Professor. His students include Galin Stoev, Marius Kurkinski, Kamen Donev, Stefan Valdobrev, Kasiel Noah Asher, Liliya Maravilha, Ivan Urumov, Koyna Ruseva, Stefka Yanorova, Anastasia Ingilizova, Dimitar Marinov, etc.
A bad memory was his expulsion from the National Academy of Dramatic Arts, which was actually organized by his colleagues - teachers. The great theater artist was forced to make a decision to leave the Academy after 8 successful classes and after he was suddenly left without an acting class. Then, in a secret ballot at a meeting of the Department Council, the director did not receive the necessary votes and had to compete in a second round with Prof. Iliya Dobrev and Assoc. Prof. Andrey Batashov, since they also did not have the necessary votes (50%). Only Prof. Plamen Markov was elected in the first round. Then Krikor Azaryan's class came out with an open letter and declared a strike.
Want to know more?
Krikor Azaryan was born on March 14, 1934 in Plovdiv. He graduated from the Armenian School in Plovdiv, and then from acting and directing at the VITIZ "Krastyo Sarafov" in 1966. He continued his education in Moscow and Leningrad.
He headed for the drama theater in his hometown. His debut was with "To Break Through the Rainbow" by Georgi Markov. Between 1966 and 1969 he was on staff at the State Theater "N. O. Masalitinov" in Plovdiv. From 1969 to 1978 was at the Theater of the People's Army, then from 1978 to 1983 he was at the National Theater “Ivan Vazov“. From 1984 to 1987 he worked at the Satire Theater, until 1990 he was at the “Sofia” Theater, and from then on – again at the Theater of the Bulgarian Army.
As a guest director he staged at the Pazardzhik Drama Theater (1965-1975) and in many other Bulgarian theaters. He staged in Poland, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Russia.
Radichkov is one of the director's favorite authors, and one of his first great successes was the staging of “January“ at the Pazardzhik Theater.
On the theater stage he has staged „The Seagull“, „Three Sisters“, „The Cherry Orchard“. He has also directed the plays „January“ and „Attempt to Fly“ by Yordan Radichkov, „Twelfth Night“ and „King Lear“ by William Shakespeare, „The Diary of a Madman“ by Nikolai Gogol, „Petrol“, „Hitchhiking“ and „Globe Lightning“ by Ivan Radoev, „From Earth to Heaven“ by Nikola Rusev, „Case“ by Sukhovo-Kobylin, „Last Record“ by Samuel Beckett, “The Suicide“ by Nikolay Erdman, “Henry IV“ by Luigi Pirandello, “The Powder Keg“ by Deyan Dukovski, “Bay your fleas“ and “Do you sell demons?“ by Boyan Papazov, “A Streetcar Named Desire“ by Tennessee Williams, “Paths“ by Nikolay Haitov and others.
Prof. Krikor Azaryan has received all Bulgarian theater awards. He was awarded an honorary “Askeer“(2004). He received the “Icarus“ award of the Union of Artists in Bulgaria in the category “Directing“ for the play “The Seagull“ of the “Bulgarian Army“ theater. He has been an honorary professor at the New Bulgarian University since 2006, and a year earlier he received the “Stara Planina“ order.
Prof. Azaryan died on December 14, 2009. The “Krikor Azaryan“ theater in the National Palace of Culture bears his name.
Source: offnews.bg