Armenian pioneers shaped American theater and arts

From Broadway's early 1900s to today, Armenian Americans have made significant contributions to theater, film, music and opera. The Armenian Weekly published the first in a series examining Armenian arts in America's 250th anniversary year.

Early pioneers include actress Flora Zabelle, who debuted on Broadway in 1900, and playwright William Saroyan, whose 1939 play "The Time of Your Life" won both the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Director Rouben Mamoulian helmed the original Broadway productions of "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel," and directed the first staging of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess."

Armenian opera singers including Armand Tokatyan, Ara Berberian, and Lili Chookasian followed. Contemporary artists like two-time Tony Award winner Andrea Martin continue this legacy. The article notes recurring themes in Armenian American artistic expression: exploration of identity, willingness to address taboo subjects, and acknowledgment of national trauma within American life.