In September 2023, Syrian-Armenian-American actor and writer Sona Tatoyan and her team developed the third act of her autobiographical, multimedia theatrical performance, Azad, at the ArtLab. A “kaleidoscopic story within a story” (from a description on the Hakawati website), Azad is a work-in-progress theatrical experience that brings together ancient Karagöz shadow puppets, indigenous Middle Eastern folk music, oral storytelling, video projection, and movement.
The third act, a departure from the rest of the show, sees Sona grappling with a pointed story of buried personal trauma against the backdrop of a people’s generational trauma. This work-in-progress will be shared and discussed with Harvard audiences in September as part of the ArtsThursday series; the performance will then travel to Berlin and Aleppo.
Azad is part of the work of the social justice non-profit organization Hakawati. Passionate about storytelling, human rights, and transformation, Sona Tatoyan founded Hakawati to work with communities affected by the trauma of war and geopolitical instability.
Artists:
Sona Tatoyan is a first-generation Syrian-Armenian-American actor/writer/producer with bases in Aleppo, Syria; Berlin, Germany; LA, California; and Yerevan, Armenia.
Jared Mezzocchi is a two-time Obie-Award-winning theater artist, working most notably as a director and multimedia designer.
Ayhan Hulagu is a Kurdish actor and Karagöz puppeteer currently based in the US.
The event Azad with Sona Tatoyan: work-in-progress performance is associated with this project.