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The world marks March 21 as the International Day of Puppet Theatre. Yerevan Puppet theatre named after Hovhannes Tumanyan had 500 performances over the 80 years of activity, Ruben Babayan, Manager and the Art Director of the theatre, told Panorama.am, assuring that Yerevan Puppet Theatre differs from other theaters in the world.

“The main feature of our theatre is the volume of its activity. We perform all the genres of the puppet theatrical performances, have plays for all age groups performed in Armenian, English, Russian, Arabic, etc.”
Babayan highlighted that Yerevan theatre never closed its doors amid even difficult periods.

“That is important because it is easy to quit an activity, while to resume it is even harder. We would have to start from the beginning, while the life develops only when we make continuous steps,” Babayan said, adding the main feature of the theatre is the fact that its passes all the good created in the past through generations.
“One will succeed to progress based on its foundation  - the past”, the Art Director said.

According to him, the Yerevan Puppet Theatre today has 300 puppets for the ongoing performances. Aside from that, the theatre has a museum, featuring puppets gifted from other theatres worldwide, created at various times, Indian, English, Chinese, Bulgarian puppets among them. The oldest puppet exhibited in the museum is 80 years old.

“Puppet theatre is of utmost importance as the theoretical conventionalities advocated by the theatre promote free thinking among the children.  Each country needs free-minded citizens, as only the latters may create. A person constrained within limitations may make nothing. In this sense, the theatre mission, the art with its children’s performances are not only entertaining but also propagate the ideas of the good, friendship and honesty. Only then one can see a blue sun, a green rabbit,” the art director noted, emphasizing the theatre’s educational role.