Aramashot Papayan (September 15, 1911- November 26, 1998) was a Soviet Armenian playwright, screenwriter, actor and director.
At the age of fifteen, Papayan’s father Petros and uncle Hyrapet both died, leaving him to be the main source of income for his family.
Papayan did hard labor at the start of his life in order to support his immediate and extended family.
He took on the responsibility of several different jobs such as a cobbler, a gatherer at a tea plantation, a construction worker and a cargo transporter.
My preference for laughter comes from those living, natural and lively sources, from that native cauldron that gives shape to natural temperament.”[3] In 1933 Papayan married Yeva Papazyan, a well educated woman from Sukhumi, whom he had four children with: Emma, Rafael, Seda and Aram.
In 1947-1949 he studied at Yerevan University and later graduated from Moscow’s Maxim Gorki Institute of Literature in 1951.
They invited the Armenian director Arshak Burjalyan to help them reinstate the Rostov-on-Don theatre.
He began to gain more fame and recognition with his roles of the characters Othello in William Shakespeare's “Othello” and Brother Balthazer in Hakob Paronyan's “Brother Balthazar.” During this time he would work with other famous Armenian actors such as Martin Lucinyan, Hayk and Isabella Danzas.
Papayan's success opened doors for him and his colleagues at the Rostov-on-Don theatre to be able to perform in other cities.
In 1935, Papayan briefly dabbled into directing at the Batumi Armenian theatre, where he directed the comedy “The Bridal Auction.” He also worked at the Armenian Theatre of Krasnadar, staging the play “The Brother” and “Blind Musician” by M. Khochanyan.
He was elected to the board of the Writers Union in 1971 along with Sergo Payazat, Abig Avagyan, Paruyr Sevak, Sero Khanzadyan, Hamo Sahyan and Hrachya Hovhannisyan.
[13] Some of his most famous works were “The Great Wedding,” “The World, Yes, has Turned Upside Down,” "The Overseas Fiancé" and “Be Nice, I'm Dead.” According to Armenia's theatrical statistics, his play "The World, Yes, has Turned Upside Down" was one of the most staged plays in the history of the Armenian Theatre.
[14] Papayan's plays have been staged in Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Syria, Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh, Lebanon, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Belarus, the United States, England and France.
[15][14][16] Armenian Actors and Directors Who Have Worked on Papayan's Plays In 1982, his son Rafael Papayan,[30] a philologist who studied under Juri Lotman and co-founded the Armenian Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights, was arrested and taken to a maximum security prison camp.