Armenian arts in America: From Broadway pioneers to today’s rising voices
Dedicated to the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, this article, titled “Armenian Arts in America,” explores the history and impact Armenians have had on the arts in the United States. Whether born in the U.S. or immigrants, Armenians have made an indelible mark on the arts in America.
Armenians have been prolific in the theater arts, including plays, musicals and operas, seeing success with both Armenian and non-Armenian material.
In examining the community, key themes emerge: an unapologetic exploration of self, society and heritage; a commitment to vulnerability, discussing what some Armenians might consider “taboo,” like sex or drugs; and an acknowledgement of their national trauma in the context of daily American life.
Unsurprisingly, this kind of creative expression is not limited to one medium. While they may have started on stage, many playwrights, directors and performers also worked in literature, film, television and music.
Flora Zabelle
One of the first, if not the first, Armenians on Broadway was actress Flora Zabelle. Born Zabelle Mangasarian in Istanbul in 1880, she made her Broadway debut in 1900 as Poppy in the musical “San Toy.” Zabelle continued to perform on Broadway for another 20 years, while also starring in early silent films.
A giant of literature, there is perhaps no Armenian American writer who looms larger than William Saroyan. The Fresno, California-born writer’s words have garnered critical acclaim and inspired generations of Armenian artists. Opening on Broadway in 1939, his play “The Time of Your Life” was the first drama to win both the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“The Time of Your Life” proved to be a breakthrough opportunity for the future stage. Screen icon Gene Kelly choreographed and performed in the show, which also featured Armenian American Ross Bagdasarian, the future creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was later adapted into a film of the same name, as was Saroyan’s play “My Heart’s in the Highlands.”
Rouben Mamoulian
In 1937, Saroyan reportedly dined with another prominent Armenian in the New York theater scene: Rouben Mamoulian. In addition to directing popular films such as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” in 1931 and “The Mark of Zorro” in 1940, the Tbilisi-born Mamoulian is admired among theater audiences for his early contributions to now-classic Broadway musicals. Mamoulian directed the very first Broadway productions of “Oklahoma!” in 1943 and “Carousel” in 1945, the styles of which influenced the development of many later Broadway musicals.
With an eye for musical theater, Mamoulian took his talents to the world of opera, directing the first production of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” in 1935. Following him in the world of opera have been a number of luminous performers: Bulgaria-born tenor Armand Tokatyan, Detroit-born bass Ara Berberian, Chicago-native contralto Lili Chookasian, Connecticut-born soprano Lucine Amara, and Detroit-based soprano Mané Galoyan, who most recently starred as Gretel in Houston Grand Opera’s production of “Hansel and Gretel.”
Mamoulian’s contributions to the arts cannot be overstated, as evidenced by the Library of Congress’s extensive archive of his life and works, the Rouben Mamoulian Papers.
These early pioneers “set the stage” for the accomplished Armenian artists of today.
Program for a production of George M. Cohan’s musical play “The Man Who Owns Broadway” in 1910, starring Flora Zabelle and her husband Raymond Hitchcock.Andrea Martin
While Armenians may immediately recognize her from the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” films, Andrea Martin is also a two-time Tony Award-winning actress. She earned these honors for her roles in the 1992 musical adaptation of “My Favorite Year” and the 2013 revival of the musical “Pippin.” Born in Maine before relocating to Toronto, Martin holds the record for the most Tony nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, with a total of five. Martin continues to engage with her Armenian heritage through active involvement with the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) and her recent role in the Off-Broadway play “Meet the Cartozians.”
Eric Bogosian
Before becoming a mainstay on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and today’s “Interview with the Vampire,” Eric Bogosian arrived on the New York City stage. The Massachusetts native began with performance art pieces and quickly became a leader in character-based solo shows. His monologues from these works were the basis for his project “100 Monologues.” Bogosian then gained widespread acclaim for his play “Talk Radio,” which he wrote and starred in before its transfer to Broadway. “Talk Radio” was named a finalist for the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and adapted into a film of the same name.
Debbie Ohanian
Also from the Boston area is Debbie Ohanian, producer of the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical “Buena Vista Social Club” and co-producer of the Tony-nominated musical “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” both currently on Broadway. Through her support, diverse styles of music and dance are reaching wider audiences — from traditional Cuban music and Broadway’s first-ever dance-along performance to LGBTQ ballroom culture.
Leslie Ayvazian
New Jersey-born Leslie Ayvazian is a playwright, actor and dramaturgy professor. Her plays often explore womanhood, sexuality and Armenian identity. Ayvazian won the 1994 Roger L. Stevens Award and the 1996 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play “Nine Armenians,” which follows three generations of an Armenian American family. She is currently reading her one-woman show “Mention My Beauty” at New York Theatre Workshop, as part of the “In The Bricks” festival.
Andrea Martin and Tom Mardirosian in the Broadway musical “My Favorite Year” in 1992. (Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater.)Aramazd Stepanian
Actor, director and playwright Aramazd Stepanian has spent a significant portion of his career bringing Armenian-language works to the stage, sometimes translating them into English. Born in Iran, Stepanian has been active in the global theater community, staging well over 125 productions through the Armenian Theatre Company and in his own theaters in London (Alperton Performing Arts Centre) and Glendale, California (Luna Playhouse).
In addition to their own extensive and growing body of work, these icons of the stage have inspired, mentored and collaborated with the next generation.
Talene Monahon
Originally from the Boston area, Talene Monahon is an actor and playwright, whose work has been staged around the country. Her recent play “Meet the Cartozians” opened Off-Broadway last fall with a cast that included Andrea Martin. It won over critics and audiences alike with its exploration of what it means to be Armenian in the U.S. in the 1920s and today.The play was named a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.
Asked about the influence of other Armenian Americans on her work, Monahon told The Armenian Weekly: “I’ve long been influenced by the Armenian American writers who came before me. I am grateful to have personal relationships with Eric Bogosian and Leslie Ayvazian, who have both been wonderful mentors and champions of my writing over the years. I also remain continually inspired by the work of the great William Saroyan, who wrote about the Armenian American experience with an incisive humor and understanding of character that was deeply influential to me when I was writing ‘Meet the Cartozians.’”
Gabriel Elizabeth Kadian
Gabriel Elizabeth Kadian, an actor and writer originally from Detroit, worked with musician and composer Stephanie Wu and producer Travis Murad Leland to bring her father’s book to the stage, “Anahid Played Soorp: The Finding of Aran Pirian.” Her show “Anahid: An Armenian Musical” tells the story of her great-grandmother’s exodus from the Ottoman Empire to New York and then to Detroit. In September 2025, the musical received its first industry presentation, during which songs from the show were performed.
Interestingly, Kadian and Leland first connected over Richard Kalinoski’s award-winning play “Beast on the Moon,” which follows a pair of Armenians who immigrated to the U.S. after the genocide. The play also prominently featured an actual photo from the Project SAVE Archives.
Arthur Donahue, Ashot Tadevosian, and Hasmik Sargsyan in Hovhannes Tumanyan’s “The Invincible Rooster” in 2026, directed by Aramazd Stepanian. (Photo courtesy of Armenian Theatre Company.)Arthur Makaryan
Originally from Armenia, Arthur Makaryan is a New York City-based director of opera and theater who received Juilliard’s Opera Directing Fellowship in 2017. As Artistic Director of ARTÉMAKAR PRODUCTIONS, Makaryan experiments with emerging technologies to tell stories. He most recently directed Nora Sørena Casey’s “Censorship of Dreams” at La MaMa in New York City, an experimental theater piece that explores technology, emotion and memory in a world without privacy.
Emily Simonian
Originally from California and now based in Virginia, Singer-songwriter Emily Simonian has waded into the musical theater space to tell the story of her family’s escape from the Armenian Genocide. Following in-development concert performances in New York City and Washington, D.C. (in partnership with the Armenian Embassy), her debut musical “When Two of Us Meet” will have its staged presentation world premiere in Pensacola, Florida next month.
When asked about theater as a medium for telling Armenian stories, Simonian told The Armenian Weekly: “Armenian culture is inherently theatrical because it’s so vibrant — full of warmth, music, dance and emotional depth — which makes it a natural fit for musical theatre. That’s what inspired me to write the musical ‘When Two of Us Meet,’ a title influenced by my admiration for William Saroyan and the humanity woven throughout his work. Traditional Armenian music and dance already feel cinematic and alive onstage, and musical theatre feels like a natural home for Armenian stories.”
“Armenian culture is inherently theatrical because it’s so vibrant — full of warmth, music, dance and emotional depth — which makes it a natural fit for musical theatre.”
Jes Dugger and Kat Wanusz Steckel in “Censorship of Dreams” in 2026, directed by Arthur Makaryan. (Photo by Marina Levitskaya.)When it comes to Armenians in the theater, it’s a fun game of Six Degrees of Separation.
Rouben Mamoulian directed the original Broadway production of the musical “Oklahoma!” in 1943, a show that later earned Andrea Martin a Tony nomination in 2002.
In 2025, Martin starred in Talene Monahon’s “Meet the Cartozians,” alongside Tamara Sevunts, who works with Arthur Makaryan as the Associate Artistic Director of ARTÉMAKAR PRODUCTIONS.
“Meet the Cartozians” was recently named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, an honor previously bestowed upon Eric Bogosian’s “Talk Radio” in 1988 and won by William Saroyan’s “The Time of Your Life” in 1940.
All of this illustrates just how tight-knit and supportive this community is, contributing to a heightened level of inspiration, collaboration and success.
Rosie (Toumanian) Nisanyan (she/her) is the Arts and Culture Multimedia Correspondent for The Armenian Weekly. She reports on arts and cultural events, reviews performances, and interviews artists and cultural researchers of the diverse Armenian Diaspora. She grew up in the vibrant Armenian communities of Chicago, Ill. and Orange County, Calif. before moving to New York to work in Broadway advertising. From writing for her high school newspaper to crafting consumer trend reports, Rosie has been a writer all her life. Her writing portfolio also spans poetry, screenplays and humor pieces.
