“…it was the aftermath of the Great War; six long years after Turkey, under the roar of guns and fire, began to dispose of some of its people. People we call Armenians.”
An excerpt from the beginning of Beast on the Moon, the play starting it’s 2 week run at Nottingham Playhouse on Friday 2nd November.
The story centres around a man, Aram, who has fled Armenia bound for America, after losing his whole family in the genocide of his people that happened soon after World War 1. He is determined to continue living his life, and with the help of a mail-order bride from Armenia, he hopes to re-build his family. But as they both struggle to come to terms with their past, we see that it isn’t as straight forward as that.
I am organising a pre-show talk on Tuesday 6th November, to open a discussion on the history behind Beast On The Moon and Armenia and the unsettling events in their history.
Richard Kalinoski, the play’s author, will talk about how he went about researching and writing the play, and Giles Croft, the director is also participating. I have written to several Student Societies and anti-genocide groups who have a vested interest in the subject to get involved and join in the discussion, and already met with The Aegis Trust, anti-genocide organisation, and the Student Society of the same name at Nottingham Trent University who are helping me to organise speakers and help to spread the word about the event.
If anyone would be interested in coming down to The Playhouse, listening to the speakers and getting involved in the discussion, all you need is a ticket for the show and you can get into to the talk for free. The contentious history surrounding this subject raises many unresolved issues, so this would be an opportune moment to discuss the subject and put questions on points that aren’t understood or known about.
Beast on the Moon runs from Friday 2nd to Saturday 17th November, tickets starting from £8 each, with concessions available for children, students, senior citizens, and Quids In seats for 14 - 26year olds at just £7!
If you have any questions or queries regarding this matter please do not hesitate to contact me via email at charliec@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk but I look forward to hearing from you soon and will be in touch to discuss this further,
Yours sincerely
Charlie Cox
Marketing & Audience Development