It Is Possible That the Door of the 'Goy' Theatre Will Soon Open: The Court Has Accepted the Claim

For the sixth consecutive day, the chairperson of the management board of the 'Goy' Theatre, director Sargis Arzumanyan, has been holding a sit-in protest in front of the theatre's entrance. He is joined by various actors and members of the creative team of the theatre. They are demanding that the 'Goy' Theatre operate as an independent theatre.

In a live stream on Facebook, Arzumanyan announced that they have a significant legal case regarding the demand to annul the Armenian government's decision No. 701-N, and they have presented another lawsuit to invalidate the state registry's registration. “But the court decided that there are necessary corrections, and it was sent back, which is normal; we see no inclination. We have made the corrections in the lawsuit, clarified the demands, and submitted it to the court. The court accepted the claim for proceedings on April 6,” he stated.

“When a claim is accepted for proceedings, all actions are suspended. This is very positive news, especially for our employees, because the Sundukyan Theatre, as a false legal successor, has reserved the right to send notices to the employees of the 'Goy' Theatre about significant changes in their work, imposing a deadline to dismiss them if they do not appear. Today, on April 8, we had several employees who Vardan Mkrtchyan was supposed to dismiss unlawfully. However, unfortunately for him, he cannot do this because these actions are suspended by law. It is very likely that the closed door of the 'Goy' Theatre will soon open, and the 'Goy' Theatre will ensure its continuity until there is a judicial decision,” he added.

S. Arzumanyan also addressed the leadership of the G. Sundukyan National Academic Theatre, saying, “Dear ones, do not even attempt to dismiss our employees from work today, to whom you have sent notifications. Or perhaps you will dismiss them; we leave it to your conscience, but again all this will go to law enforcement because you will also commit violations. It may be unpleasant for you, but perhaps this evening the theatre's door will also open.”

It is noteworthy that by the government's decision, the 'Goy' Theatre has merged with the G. Sundukyan National Academic Theatre, but the acting and creative team of the 'Goy' Theatre opposes this merger; they want to operate as a separate theatre and do not want to go and work in the Sundukyan Academic Theatre. They are contesting the government's decision regarding the merger in court. Since the end of March, the theatre's door has been closed, preventing the actors from entering and rehearsing.