The history of Armenian theatre

According to Plutarch the history of Armenian theatre begins in 70 BC when Tigran the Great opened the first public theatre in Tigranakert. Artavazd the second, who was Tigran the great’s son, built the second public theatre in Artashat, which survived until the second century AD. Artavazd the second is considered to be the first Armenian playwright as he himself wrote tragedies for his theatre.

The real development of the Armenian theatre started in the 19th century when the western  Armenian playwrights began to create, among them Petros Duryan, Levon Shant and Hakob Paronyan. Levon Shant’s and Hakob Paronyan’s plays are still being staged at different Armenian theatres nowdays.