This year, the Shakespeare & Co international festival program will also include Russian classics.

ArmInfo. This year's Shakespeare & Co International Theatre Festival is held under the slogan "Shakespeare and Russian Classics," meaning that on the country's theater stages, audiences will see not only Shakespeare's great works, but also works by outstanding Russian classics, including Chekhov, Pushkin, Zoshchenko, and Sukhovo-Kobylin.

The festival will be held from November 4th to 10th in Yerevan and will open with a production of "Hamlet" directed by Grigor Khachatryan (G. Ghaplanyan Yerevan Drama Theater). It is noteworthy that actress Lydia Grigoryan will play Hamlet. The director explained her choice by saying that Hamlet has long ceased to be just a role; it is rather a worldview, a way of life, an attitude. "It is an institution." "And a person who could embody this character must not put their own personality first and must be free of ego. And actress Lydia Grigoryan is precisely that," he said.

In the history of Armenian theater, 125 years ago, a woman played Hamlet – it was actress Siranush Kantarjyan (real name Merope Kantarjyan). This unprecedented event for Armenian theater art took place in Tbilisi in 1901. However, in world theater history, women have already played the Danish prince. One of the more famous performers of this role was the renowned French actress Sarah Bernhardt.

It is worth noting that the festival program is quite rich; in addition to Armenian companies, Shakespeare & Co will feature theater companies from Moldova, Great Britain, Russia, Hungary, and Romania. In particular, the National Theatre named after I. L. Caragiale (Moldova) will present the play based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare, the Ulyanovsk Drama Theatre named after I. A. Goncharov - the play (W. Shakespeare), the Hungarian Theatre named after Tóth József - (A. Chekhov), and the Romanian Theatre of Tony Bulandra - (W. Shakespeare). The festival will conclude with a performance by the famous , who will present a new joint production of the St. Petersburg theatre companies and - the play Directed by Alexander Tseren (based on the play by A. Sukhovo-Kobylin).

The Armenian program includes the following productions: in addition to Hamlet, staged by the Yerevan Drama Theater, the Yerevan Chamber Theater will present Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (W. Shakespeare). The Stanislavsky Yerevan Russian Drama Theater will participate in the festival with Hamlet. Collapse. The Hamazgayin Theater named after S. Sargsyan will present Alexander Pushkin's Little Tragedies and I, My Blues, Dear Kapochka, and Other Views. Based on the works of Mikhail Zoshchenko.

In addition, the festival, in collaboration with the Armenian Shakespeare Association, will host an international roundtable discussion on the topic "Why stage Shakespeare in the modern era?" The discussion will feature renowned Shakespeare scholars, theater directors, and cultural figures from various countries. Participants include guests from the UK, Australia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Moldova, including presidents of Shakespeare associations and the president of the European Network of Shakespeare Festivals.

During the meeting, participants will discuss the relevance of Shakespeare's works, the specifics of modern stage interpretations of classical works, various approaches to their reading, and prospects for international theater cooperation. The roundtable will serve as an important platform for exchanging professional experience, strengthening international ties, and developing new forms of collaboration.

Note that Shakespeare & Co is a member of the European Network of Shakespeare Festivals and serves as a platform for international cultural cooperation, promoting professional exchange and intercultural dialogue. The festival introduces Armenian audiences to the diversity of world theater arts and provides foreign theater companies with the opportunity to present their work on the Armenian stage. The festival director is Karo Balyan.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Armenia.