Arousyak Papazian (Armenian: Ô±Ö€Õ¸Ö‚Õ½Õ¥Õ¡Õ¯ Õ"Õ¡ÖƒÕ¡Õ¦Õ¥Õ¡Õ¶, â€")
was an Ottoman Armenian actress. She is counted as the first
professional female actor in the Ottoman Empire and thereby the Middle
East.Arousyak Papazian was born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, in
. Before becoming an actress, she worked as a teacher. In the s, the
modern theatre was founded in the Ottoman Empire by an Armenian
theatre company, and Papazian was reportedly the first female actor to
perform in the Hekimian theatre company in . She was engaged at the
Arevelian Tatron (Oriental Theater) and she also toured with the
company, such as to Izmir in .As Muslims did not consider acting a
suitable profession, the first actors in the Ottoman Empire were
Christian Armenians, and the stigma of the profession was especially
the case for females, the actresses received a higher salary than
their male colleagues, and they could also continue their careers
undisturbed after the Armenian theatre monopoly was abolished in the
Ottoman Empire in ; after this point, male Armenian actors found
competition from Muslim Turkish male actors, while no Muslim Turkish
female actor ever performed on stage before .Arousyak Papazian became
the first leading lady and female star of the Ottoman theatre and
received considerable praise. She and her colleague Aghavni Papazian
are mentioned by the historian Mikael Nalbandian as two pioneers in
defying prejudices by performing on stage in the Muslim Middle East.
As such, they became publicly visible women in the Muslim Ottoman
Empire in a period when the female members of the audience had to
watch their plays from behind screens.
was an Ottoman Armenian actress. She is counted as the first
professional female actor in the Ottoman Empire and thereby the Middle
East.Arousyak Papazian was born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, in
. Before becoming an actress, she worked as a teacher. In the s, the
modern theatre was founded in the Ottoman Empire by an Armenian
theatre company, and Papazian was reportedly the first female actor to
perform in the Hekimian theatre company in . She was engaged at the
Arevelian Tatron (Oriental Theater) and she also toured with the
company, such as to Izmir in .As Muslims did not consider acting a
suitable profession, the first actors in the Ottoman Empire were
Christian Armenians, and the stigma of the profession was especially
the case for females, the actresses received a higher salary than
their male colleagues, and they could also continue their careers
undisturbed after the Armenian theatre monopoly was abolished in the
Ottoman Empire in ; after this point, male Armenian actors found
competition from Muslim Turkish male actors, while no Muslim Turkish
female actor ever performed on stage before .Arousyak Papazian became
the first leading lady and female star of the Ottoman theatre and
received considerable praise. She and her colleague Aghavni Papazian
are mentioned by the historian Mikael Nalbandian as two pioneers in
defying prejudices by performing on stage in the Muslim Middle East.
As such, they became publicly visible women in the Muslim Ottoman
Empire in a period when the female members of the audience had to
watch their plays from behind screens.
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