Leslie Ayvazian's One-Woman Show Explores Armenian Identity

Playwright and actor Leslie Ayvazian recently performed her one-woman show "Mention My Beauty" at New York Theatre Workshop as part of the 2026 "In the Bricks" Festival. The performance, directed by David Warren, features Ayvazian reading from a three-ring binder in an intimate setting, examining themes of womanhood, ambition, and Armenian identity across her life story.

Ayvazian, a Columbia University dramaturgy professor and two-time award winner for her 1996 play "Nine Armenians," spent a decade developing the piece. Rather than following chronological order, the show weaves together childhood, education, and adulthood through thematic connections, exploring how her mother and grandmother's experiences shaped her own choices.

At 76, Ayvazian prefers reading her lines to memorizing them, allowing her to focus on storytelling through facial expressions and gestures. The performance examines generational cycles of silence and compliance among women in her family, contrasting their talents and education against pressure to remain unambitious.