Welcome back,
storytellers & story lovers!
The second edition of the Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival will take place on August 25-27, 2023.
Join us for an enchanting escape to the mountains of Lori in northern Armenia to celebrate the magic of stories!
The theme of this year's festival is all about "place" - celebrating stories where the setting is not just a backgdrop, but a vital character.
Festival Program
Three days of events, including: live storytelling and musical performances, personal storytelling workshops, story-led hikes, talks, open mic sessions, a listening room, immersive art installations, memorable mountain views, dinners & dynamic conversations under the stars, and much more!
With performances and workshops by:
Raphael Rodan, storytelling coach & co-artistic director of the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival
Raffi Feghali, theater director, storyteller, performer, percussionist from Beirut
Mara Menzies, award-winning Scottish-Kenyan storyteller & performer
Melisa Ferayan, Istanbul-based storyteller & educator
Mahir Özkan, published author of Hamshen folktales
Scout Tufankjian, acclaimed Armenian-American photojournalist
Shushiki Band, high-energy traditional Armenian folk band
Anahit Ghazaryan, author, playwright and researcher
Kourken Papazian, Beirut & Berlin based documentary filmmaker
Hrach Martirosyan, Armenian linguist & scholar
Alin Demirdjian, Argentinian-Armenian singer-songwriter
…plus many more!
Friday August 25
15:30
Giqor Hike with HikeArmenia - This hike (register here) will take place on the Giqor trail and will be accompanied with the story of Giqor, written by Hovhannes Tumanyan. (Multi-lingual)
18:00
Tour of Abastan Artist Community
Meeting point: Abastan/Factory Courtyard
19:00
Group Dinner - A communal dinner in the town square
Meeting point: Flying Samovar Cafe
20:00
Vernatun: Stories over Wine
An intimate, candlelit night of exchanging stories over wine, featuring Hamshen Armenian writer Mahir Özcan and an eclectic mix of storytellers.
(Multi-lingual)
Location: Flying Samovar Cafe
22:30
Film Screening of “The Lighthouse” - A film by Mariya Saakyan that explores the concept of home.
(Russian with English subtitles)
Location: Factory Courtyard
Saturday August 26
10:45
[NEW TIME]
Morning Hike to Kobayr Monastery - Linguist & scholar Dr. Hrach Martirosyan will lead a short hike to Kobayr monastery, sharing the legacy of storytelling in Armenia and Lori region, along the way.
(Multi-lingual)
Meeting point: Flying Samovar Cafe
12:00
Reading & Author Talk - Nancy Agabian & Shushan Avagyan will be sharing excerpts from their recent books, followed by a Q&A. (English)
Location: outside Matchbox Label Museum
12:00
Letter to the Land: Art Workshop - Led by interdisciplinary artist Tara Baghdassarian, a hands-on art workshop in which participants will gather leaves and natural materials to use for making word and image prints. (Multi-lingual; kid-friendly)
Location: outside Matchbox Label Museum
12:00
Visual Storytelling: Photography Workshop - Led by photojournalist Scout Tufankjian, participants will have the opportunity to have their work reviewed, or may choose to listen and engage in discussions on the art of telling stories through images.
(English)
Location: COAF room at House of Culture
13:00
Book Presentation - Tigran Amiryan, founder of CSN Lab, will present their latest book, "Getar: Memory of a River," accompanied by Aram Pachyan's poetry. Followed by a presentation of CSN Lab's newest zine, ZINEadadar.
(Armenian)
Location: outside Matchbox Label Museum
14:00
Yerkenk Miasin: A Musical Road Trip through the Caucasus and Anatolia - Musician Sevana Tchakerian’s interactive performance celebrates collected stories and songs from her travels. All are invited to learn, sing, and play along as she shares folk songs from the regions she has visited, in Armenian dialects and local languages.
Location: Factory Building (upstairs)
15:30
Tour of Abastan Artist Community
Meeting point: Abastan/Factory Courtyard
15:30
[NEW LOCATION]
Puppet Making Workshop
Led by Iranian visual aritst Torfeh Ekhlasi, workshop participants will make hand puppets with provided materials. They will also learn about role-playing and how to bring their puppets to life through movement and voice.
(Multi-lingual; kid-friendly)
Location: Factory Building (downstairs)
16:00
“Planned Outage” Documentary Performance - Anahit Ghazaryan’s play is a captivating performance that features three actresses, narrating ordinary episodes from the collective childhoods of those who grew up in the “cold, dark years” of newly independent Armenia.
(Armenian with English subtitles)
Location: House of Culture Auditorium
17:30
"The Golden City" - Storyteller Melisa Ferahyan will share a Western Armenian telling of this classic Indian tale, translated to Armenian by Hovhannes Tumanyan. (Armenian)
Location: Factory Courtyard
18:30
Mara Menzies Performs at Dusk - A renowned British storyteller of mixed Scottish & Kenyan heritage, Mara will tell tales that celebrate her heritage’s history, mythology and folklore.
(English)
Location: Factory Courtyard
19:30
Dinner & Puppet Theater Show
An open air dinner & entertainment through a shadow puppet show by Abastan artists
Location: Factory Courtyard
20:30
An Evening of Music Under the Stars
(kid-friendly)
Location: Factory Courtyard
Alin Demirdjian - Performance of songs and stories in Spanish & Armenian by Buenos-Aires born singer-songwriter Alin Demirjian.
Shushiki Band - Named after the Komitas piano piece, “Dance of Shushiki,” this trio will delight with traditional Armenian folk songs.
Sunday August 27
10:45
Children’s Music Workshop with Shushiki Band - This will be a playful, interactive workshop for kids to enliven the joy of storytelling through music.
Location: House of Culture
11:00
[NEW LOCATION]
Director conversation: Storytelling through documentary film
Kourken Papazian will screen part of his documentary, “Gharbiyyeh,” about the Armenians of West Beirut, and discuss his creative process. (Armenian)
Location: Factory Couryard/Foyer
12:00
“Anatomy of Home” - storyteller Raffi Feghali’s “love letter” to (and eventual “break up” with) Beirut. A special one-man show on the concept of home. (English)
Location: Factory Building (downstairs)
12:00
[NEW TIME]
Fables & Fairytales - A Western Armenian fairytale told by Melisa Ferahyan, followed by an interactive workshop designed for kids, based on a story by Avedik Isahakyan.
(Armenian; kid-friendly)
Location: House of Culture COAF room
13:30
Improv Workshop - Participants are invited to hone their improvisational theater skills in this interactive class led by seasoned theater trainer Raffi Feghali. (English)
Location: Factory Building (downstairs)
14:00
“Country of Dust” Podcast Listening Party
Producers Nyree Abrahamian and Gohar Khachatryan will host a group listening session of the latest episode of their podcast, “Country of Dust,” which tells the stories of life in a changing Armenia. Discussion to follow.
(English)
Meeting point: Abastan/Factory Coutyard
15:00
Tour of Abastan Artist Community
Meeting point: Abastan/Factory Courtyard
15:30
Short Stories
Story by Mara Menzies & musical story by Tara Baghdassarian
(English)
Location: Factory Building (downstairs)
16:00
Open Mic
All are welcome to read or perform a story up to 7-minutes long.
(Multi-lingual)
Location: Factory Building (downstairs)
17:30
“Loretsi Sako” Play
To close the festival, the Sos Sargsyan National Theater Company will put on an enchanting performance based on the poem written by Hovhannes Tumanyan.
(Armenian)
Location: House of Culture Auditorium
The 2023 Festival is made possible thanks to the generous support of our headline sponsor, the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation,
and to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Additional partners and supporters include Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), the Hrant Dink Foundation, The British Council, Muziekgebouw Production House, Abastan Artist Community, and HikeArmenia.
tumanyanstoryfest@gmail.com
Tumanyan International
Storytelling Festival
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