“A Streetcar Named Desire” Staged by AUA Drama and Writers on the Storm Clubs

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YEREVAN, Armenia ‒ On April 27, the American University of Armenia (AUA) students staged and performed a modern adaptation of the classic A Streetcar Named Desire by American playwright Tennessee Williams. The performance was a great success, as evident by the more than 500 happy theatergoers and due to the hard work of the production team, professional lighting setup, and detailed set design.

Back in September 2017, students of the AUA Drama Club and Writers on the Storm Creative Writing Club held two-day auditions and chose the cast for the play. Shortly afterwards, the AUA team had the chance to participate in the Universiade-2017 competitions among university students of the Republic of Armenia (RA) and the Artsakh Republic to express themselves and showcase their creative skills. The AUA team won second place in the Theater category.

Following the competition, the students began rehearsing for the performance in AUA’s Large Auditorium. It took the cast and crew more than ten months to prepare for the show. One of the first steps the students took for the production was to develop a raw 3D rendering of the stage, which helped them to arrange the stage design. In addition, the team shot a trailer which portrays the characters’ lives before the events of the play took place and snippets of the cast rehearsals and crew meetings.

The ultimate goal for the students was to blend several aspects of staging in a way that they complement each other subtly and work as a solid unity to deliver an emotionally engaging and truthful performance. In other words, the realistic “method” approach to acting was blended with the contemporary setting and colored with highly expressionistic lighting and sound design. The action-packed pacing of the show guaranteed the narrative-driven engagement of the audience.

On behalf of the AUA Drama Club and Writers on the Storm Creative Writing Club, the production team cordially thanked everyone who helped them throughout the production process and made this event a reality.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.