THEATRES
Architect: Mark Grigoryan
Co-authors: architects Eduard
Altunyan, Smbat Melkonyan, G. Mnoyan
The theater is located at 7 Vazgen Sargsyan Street.
Before the construction of the current building, the theater
operated in the First Republic of Armenia’s parliament building, which stood at
the same location (4 Stepan Shahumyan Street, now 7 Vazgen Sargsyan Street).
This theater pioneered Armenian operetta. It was
founded on December 23, 1941, during the challenging days of the Great
Patriotic War. The theater officially opened on June 22, 1942, enriching the
republic’s network of theatrical institutions. R. Nelson's operetta “The King
Amuses Himself” served as the Musical Comedy Theater's first performance.
For some time, the Gabriel Sundukyan State Academic
Theater and the Konstantin Stanislavsky Russian Theater also performed here.
Singer Shara Talyan, conductor and choirmaster Aram
Ter-Hovhannisyan, composer and founder of Armenian national pop music Artemi
Ayvazyan, director Vardan Ajemyan, actors Tadevos Saryan, Hayk Danzas, Karp
Khachvankyan, and others greatly contributed to the theater's establishment and
activities.
People’s Artists of the Armenian SSR Isabella Danzas,
Mayis Gharagozyan, Svetlana Grigoryan, Meline Hamamjyan, Stepan Grigoryan, and
others worked in the theater. The theater’s repertoire regularly expanded with
works by Armenian and foreign authors.
In 1956, the Ministry of Culture reclaimed the
building. Later, architect Levon Muradyan’s design completely reconstructed the
building and adapted it for theatrical activities.
In 1962, the theater was named after the great
Armenian satirist Hakob Paronyan.
The current building opened in 1991. The first
performance (Hakob Paronyan’s “The Honorable Beggars”) took place on September
25, 1992. In 1999, a black granite memorial plaque of Karp Khachvankyan
(created by L. Melkonyan) was installed on the main facade. On June 2, 2022, a
joint memorial plaque for the theater’s artistic director Yervand Ghazanchyan
and his wife, People's Artist of Armenia Galya Novents, was unveiled
(architect: Vardan Harutyunyan, sculptor: Armenak Hambardzumyan).
The eight-story building uses yellowish-white felsite
in its construction. It measures 62.4 × 36.75 m.
The theater stands as a renowned and beloved cultural
institution with rich traditions.
The building’s architecture incorporates elements
characteristic of modern public architecture while reinterpreting Armenian
national architectural traditions.
“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO
Yerevan Municipality
