GERARD AVEDISSIAN

     Born March 1944, Beirut - Lebanon

    

Author, Director, Actor.

As well as Advertising Creative Director/CEO of Multinational advertising agencies.

TV Producer.

 

 

1964/1969 :

 

Studied Drama in the ex-Soviet Union.

MA/PhD in Stage Direction.

Acted simultaneously in many Soviet films.

Performed at the National Theater.

 

 

 

1970/1975 :

 

Beirut : Wrote, directed and acted in many plays, mainly: 

 

 “HIKAYAT KHARABIA WA MALIKAHA UBU” (Ubu Roi): Freely inspired from Alfred Jarry’s   play.

 

“GUETSE ARKAN” (Long Live The King: in Armenian): an open-air dance/pantomime

    fantasia inspired from the history of the Armenian people, with 60 actors/dancers.

 

“HAYAT WA ALAM CHAFICA AL-OBTIA” (Life and Passion of Chafica the Copt): an avant-

   garde political play. 

 

 

 

1979/1982 :

 

New York : Worked with La MaMa Experimental Theater and one season at The Public Theater.

 

1980-1987 :

Group Creative Director at Impact/BBDO advertising agency.

 

1987-1993 :

Paris :Managing Director at C2A, Art Buying/TV Production Center in Paris

 

1993/2004 :

 

Beirut : wrote and directed many plays, mainly:

 

“SAFRAT AL-AHLAM” : (The Dream Journey) : a musical by Elias Rahbani.

 

“SAKHRET TANIOS” : Drama (a free adaptation of Amin Maalouf’s Goncourt Prize winner  novel: “Le Rocher de Tanios”) for the inauguration of Masrah Al-Madina.

 

 “AH ! YA GHADANFAR” : A farce, (freely inspired from the Armenian tale “Katch Nazar”).

 

“KALILA WA DIMNA” : A children’s play, (freely adapted from Al-Moukaffaa’s famous book).

 

“GHADAT AL-CAMILIA” :  a musical, (freely inspired from Dumas’ “La Dame aux Camelias”)

 

“AMANI HAWLA AL-AALAM” : Dance-Theater : (Amani around the world) for the Amani Dance Company at the Caesar’s Palace, Lebanon.

 

“AYYAM WA LAYALI” : Dance-Theater : (Amani’s Days and Nights) for the Amani Dance Company at the Caesar’s Palace, Lebanon.

 

“KHATIFEH”  : a modern comedy with the students of The Actors School at Kafa’at University, at Masrah Al-Madina, (freely inspired from “The Fantasticks !”).

 

 

2005/2006:

Managing Director at TBWA\Jordan advertising agency, Amman.

2006:

Selected for the Sursock Museum Autumn Salon with a painting called “Little Soldier from Smyrna”

2007:

Managing Director at GREY Worldwide advertising agency Cairo, Egypt.

 

 

2007/200... :

 

Currently working on new creations, written and to be directed:

 

“FI INTIZAR AL-BARABIRA” : (Waiting for the barbarians) : Apolitical farce.

“AL-AMIR AL-MAJNOUN” : (The mad prince) : A monodrama (freely inspired from Hamlet).  

“AOUDAT AL-NASEK “ : (Return of the Hermit) : Inspired by the history of Lebanon.