iWitness installation is located at Glendale’s Central Park, adjacent to the Downtown Central Library
GLENDALE—An open-air, site-specific theatrical piece uniquely designed for the iWitness installation of Genocide survivor portraits now on display in Glendale will be performed during the installation’s closing weekend, June 10 and 11. Featuring a cast of 30, “i Go On” is scheduled for three performances – on Saturday, June 10 at 5p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Sunday, June 11 at 5 p.m. – at Glendale’s Central Park adjacent to the Downtown Central Library.
Conceived and directed by award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian, “i Go On” is constructed around a procession – joined by audience members – that moves through the space inhabited by the installation. Incorporating survivor testimonials, music, and choreographed movement, the performance piece serves as a symbolic rumination on themes of resilience and remembrance.
Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for playwriting (“The Farewells”) and directing (“Three Hotels”), whose feature plays and solo pieces have been performed in half a dozen cities, from Los Angeles (Fountain Theatre) to London (Finborough Theatre). His most recent productions include “Happy Armenians” and the original incarnation of “i Go On” at the Music Center Plaza and Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.
Anahid Oshagan, Arthur Parian, Sossy Varjabedian, and Mihran Yezbekyan are the original cast members reprising their roles in Glendale; among the performers joining them will be Gregory DePetro, Rafi Ekmekian, Paola Kassabian, Maral Nashalian-Arsenian, Sebouh Oshagan, and Heather Lynn Smith.
“i Go On” is part of the inaugural exhibit at the refurbished Downtown Central Library, called Landscape of Memory: Witnesses and Remnants of the Armenian Genocide. The exhibition includes an indoor component at ReflectSpace within the library and the iwitness installation outdoors. The iwitness installation is a site-specific clustered configuration; the installation creates an intense and immersive space where the audience is submerged underneath the gaze of massive portraits of Armenian Genocide survivors. The work of artists Ara Oshagan, Levon Parian, architect Vahagn Thomasian and the iWitness team, iWitness is the first ever large-scale public art installation in Glendale.
Sponsored by the City of Glendale, Glendale Library, Arts and Culture Department and the Glendale Community Services and Parks Department. Admission is free and open to the public.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Award-Winning Director to Stage Performance at iWitness Installation