Beast on the Moon: A Tale of Armenian Genocide Survivors

The award-winning play, Beast on the Moon, has found a home at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. It's the haunting, moving story of two survivors of the Armenian genocide, Aram and Seta, who struggle to forget, heal, and begin a new life in America. 

"I've always looked at this story in terms of a journey of this marriage [between Aram and Seta]," said Olga Konstantulakis who plays Seta, an Armenian mail-order bride. "They don't know anything about each other, they meet, and they forge ahead and…[eventually] you actually see these two become man and wife." 

Zadran Wali plays Aram who lost his entire family in the Armenian genocide in 1915. Wali says it was a difficult process to prepare for the role. "It took quite a long time for me. I worked on it. I did a lot of research and looked into the history and talked to people from Armenia," Wali said.   

But even with all the preparation the cast did before production began, and even after all the numerous performances, the emotions of the characters are alive in them, manifesting themselves in new ways each time, allowing for nuanced performances.

 "The rule of thumb is that by week three the play is living in your bones and you get freed up. I've experienced that," Wali said.  Each night, Wali says he's affected differently by the story and uses it in his performances.

Vincent, played by John Cirigliano, is a character taken in by Aram and Seta; the story is told through his memories. The stage, with a small apartment living room as a set, is pale and washed out. Even the wooden floorboards of the stage are in a muted, hazy white. Only a few objects like the camera and a photograph on the wall stand out, a deliberate and thoughtful production decision.

This production design, Konstantulakis says was going after the idea that memories aren't usually very clear and that they're kind of muted. "Very key, specific things pop out, just as we attach certain meanings to certain objects," Konstantulakis said.

Photography is a central aspect of the play and it inspired the lighting design according to Shazia Malik, assistant director and stage manager. When the story shifts between the character Vincent and his memories, Malik says the audience will notice a distinct light change. "It almost resembles a negative coming into what Aram talks about."

While the atrocity of the Armenian genocide provides a background for the story, the themes, the emotions, and the journey of the play are universal. "It's about family, and starting up, and love and there are many different themes…you don't have to be Armenian to be touched," Cirigliano said.  

But the play clearly has a special meaning for Armenian-Americans and they have been eager to share their praise and show their gratitude to the cast. "Everyone one of them had tears in their eyes. They're all very deeply moved by it," said Cirigliano.  

Wali and Cirigliano both admit to having very emotional reactions upon first reading the script, part of which attracted them to their characters.

Konstantulakis, who is also producing the play, found the play in a scene study class years ago. "It was one of those plays you read and it was in me," she says. "The seed was planted and I had to see it through."

Konstantulakis handpicked everyone involved. There's a palpable closeness among the cast and crew of Beast on the Moon. They laugh and play off of each other and this chemistry transcends into their characters, bringing to life a beautifully human story.

Beast on the Moon
By Richard Kalinoski
Directed by Paul Lampert
Playing at Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (Marilyn Monroe Theatre)
7936 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Play runs until Oct. 17
Thursdays – Saturday at 8 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $25
323-960-7784
www.plays411.com/beat

Play synopsis:

The play has been awarded numerous prizes, including five prestigious Molière awards, and has been produced in twelve languages in seventeen countries.

Set in 1921, the story follows a mail-order bride as she travels from Armenia to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to start life as the wife of a photographer. Together, they attempt to build a new life in the wake of the horrors of the Armenian holocaust.