Strike at the Hrachya Kochar National Theatre

For about a month now, a tense atmosphere has engulfed the Hrachya Kochar National Theatre in Yerevan. The majority of the acting staff is demanding the resignation of artistic director and manager Vigen Chaldryan. Just yesterday, while actors were holding a press conference in one of the theatre's halls, a new order was being signed in Vigen Chaldryan’s office, appointing director Suren Shahverdyan as the artistic director of the Hrachya Kochar National Theatre.

In an interview with Aysor.am, the new artistic director mentioned that the law does not allow actors to choose their artistic leader; instead, the leader is appointed and comes to the theatre to personally sign contracts with the actors, coordinating with the director.

He expressed his willingness to work with all actors in the theatre who wish to do so.

However, the theatre actors have already stated their opposition to the new artistic director and plan to start an indefinite strike from December 1st. Shahverdyan did not hide the fact that anyone who continues what he called illegal actions and strikes would have their cooperation terminated.

Shahverdyan also disclosed that he does not intend to manage the artistic direction of the theatre unilaterally. He proposed creating an artistic council, which has been accepted by director Vigen Chaldryan, but this council will not include people from within the theatre; instead, it will invite theater experts and authoritative figures in the field.

Interestingly, the actors have their own candidates. For the position of artistic director, they propose the name of Narine Grigoryan, an actress from the same theatre and a Merited Artist of Armenia, while they see actor Arman Navasardyan as a suitable candidate for the position of acting director.