Armenian Solo Show To Debut Off-Broadway

Hamlet Machine, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Henrikh Muller's Hamletmachine by Ani Vardanyan, will officially start performance Off-Broadway on October 24th, 2018 at Theatre Row (410 W 42nd St.)

This solo show is helmed by Mr. Arthur Makaryan, featuring Armenian star Narek Baghdasaryan, who was awarded "Best Actor" at the Armenian National Theatre Awards 2018 for his performance in Hamlet Machine.

Hamlet is immersed in an emotional and physical turmoil trying to reevaluate, justify and understand the motives of those he has killed. Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius and Gertrude coexist in one person. They become the parts of one machine called human.

As a finalist of the world's largest solo theatre festival "2018 United Solo Theatre Festival", Hamlet Machine's is co-produced by Yijin Liu. Before its Off-Broadway run, Hamlet Machine premiered at Armmono International Festival in Armenia and toured in Europe, including Russia (Golden Gates festival at Vladimir Drama Theatre) and Lithuania (Atspindys International Monoperformances Festival). Shortly after NYC, it will take off to Moldova (December 2018), Saint Petersburg (Spring 2019) and Paris (Spring 2019).

The Off-Broadway run is supported by THE ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: Wed 10/24 7:30pm

RUNNING TIME: 42min

TICKETING INFORMATION: Tickets, with a price of $45 (plus a $2.25 Theatre Restoration Charge) are available at the Theatre Row Box Office and online (click here to purchase) through Telecharge. You may also call Telecharge at 212-239-6200.

THE TEAM

Narek Baghdasaryan (actor) is an Armenian actor. He studied at the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinematography. Since 2009 he has been working at Yerevan State Chamber Music Theater and since 2010 at Pan-National Theatre. He has played in a number of performances such as Mozart in A. Pushkin's Mozart and Salieri; Policeman in T. Williams's Frozen Tigers; Goerge Milosavski in Ivan Vasilyevich by M. Bulgakov; Suren For Honor by A. Shirvanzade; brother in "Anush" by H. Tumanyan; Tik-tak in Beauty and the Beast; Osip in N.Gogol's Revisor; Doctor in Woyzek by G. Bjuk, Author in S.Sargsyan's Poor Petros; B. Matias in Brudt's Thirty Three Opera; Clown, actor in Hamlet by Shakespeare; Daddy in V. Saroyan's Your Life Hours, etc. Toured in Lebanon, Estonia, USA, participated in Baltic House Festival in Saint Petersburg and International Theater Festival Melcomana Tawri in Kherson.

Arthur Makaryan (director) was the recipient of the 2017-18 Opera Directing Fellowship at the Juilliard School. He holds masters' degrees in directing from Columbia University in NYC, La Sorbonne University in Paris and the Yerevan State Institute of Theater. He has assisted Stephen Wadsworth at Metropolitan Opera and Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in NYC; Darren Katz; the resident director for The Lion King musical on Broadway, Sybille Wilson at Royal Parc Theater in Brussels, etc. His most recent credits as theatre and opera director include the Simulacrum multimedia contemporary opera at 3LD Art and Technology Center, Broken April at LenFest Center for Arts, Hamlet Machine that is touring in Russia, Europe and USA this coming fall. Arthur co-founded Epsidon Theatre Company in Armenia in 2012 where he staged two musicals. In 2014, he made his Avignon Off festival debut with A la vie, a la mort performance by Simone Rist. Recently, joined Stage Directors and Choreographers Union (SDC) of USA.

Yijin Liu (co-producer) is a China-born, NYC-based theatre producer. She has produced 40+ productions in NYC and major cities in China, including a workshop of The Greatest Showman Live (NYC), Hamlet Machine (Theatre Row, NYC), Broken April (Lenfest Center for the Arts, NYC), Outer Banks (Signature Theatre, NYC), Macbeth (Connelly Theatre, NYC), Rite of Spring (by Shen Wei Dance Arts, Shanghai), Track 3 (by Theatre Movement Bazaar, China tour), etc. In 2015, she was hired as Executive Producer for Princess Butterfly, an original musical on ice by Wanda Cultural Industry Group (China's largest cultural enterprise). Yijin has previously worked at Brierpatch Productions (NYC), George Mason University Center for the Arts (VA), and National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing). She also served as project manager for Beijing TinHouse Productions for three years prior to working with Ambassador Theatre in Washington D.C. Education: Columbia University, Theatre Management & Producing MFA.

UNITED SOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL is an annual international festival for solo performances held at the Theatre Row in the heart of the New York City theatre district on 42nd Street, currently in its 9th season. Fiona Shaw called United Solo "the mecca of the solo shows in the world." Over 130 participants from six continents will present their shows every day from September 13 until November 18, 2018. Numerous performances are already sold out. Through its mission, United Solo presents renowned artists as well as new talents, discovers original stories, connects artists with their audiences, exchanges diverse perspectives, fosters a dialogue for change, entertains, and now also educates through its professional training program led by distinguished artists and cultural icons. Artists and companies interested in being presented at The United Solo Festival in 2019 are now welcome to submit their applications online at www.unitedsolo.org/submit

To post a comment, you must register and login.