82 (English): Merendiando with Lara Arabian and Carla Melo Radio Aluna Theatre

There are times where… I just want this moment for the Armenians… for them to feel like they are seen and for ... anglophones to just for a moment feel displaced. - Lara Arabian
when you are uprooted from your culture… how do we construct this notion of ancestry? I think that doesn't necessarily have to do with blood ties.  Especially as cultural workers, artists - we are always looking for someone in the past that will inspire… who is able to navigate this world where the ground is always moving…. - Carla Melo
Meet Lara Arabian and Carla Melo, the writer/performer and director/co- creator of “Siranoush'' a multimedia, multilingual one-woman show that was part of this year’s Rutas Festival. Lara Arabian is a trilingual Dora nominated Toronto-based performer by way of Beirut, Lebanon, upstate NY, and Paris, France. She is also a passionate arts educator and is on the faculty of Sheridan College in both the Musical Theatre and the Performing Arts Preparation programs. Carla Melo (Ph.D., UCLA) is a researcher, director and performer invested in creating and thinking critically about the intersections of performance, social engagement and activism. Through a decolonial and hemispheric lens, she has paid particular attention to performances from across the Americas, with a focus on Latin American, Afro-diasporic, immigrant and indigenous populations.
Siranoush explores the writer/performer’s desire to dig deeper into her cultural roots, through a reimagining of a 19th century ethnic Armenian actress of that name, who was a trailblazer both on and off the stage. Tapping into ancestral knowledge and diasporic memory, the performance takes us across time and space to explore the power of theatre as a way of cultural survival and female empowerment.
All Radio Aluna Theatre episodes are in Spanglish, English, or Spanish. New episodes are released on Wednesdays. Follow and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
Radio Aluna Teatro is produced by Aluna Theatre with support from the Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council,  the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and TD Bank.  
Aluna Theatre is Beatriz Pizano & Trevor Schwellnus; Radio Aluna Theatre is produced by Monica Garrido and Lucia Linares.
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Hubo algunas veces en las que simplemente dije, solo quiero que este momento sea para los armenios, para que se sientan vistos y que las personas que son anglófonas se sientan desplazadas por un momento. - Lara Arabian 
cuando estás desarraigado de tu cultura… ¿cómo construyes esta noción de ascendencia? Creo que eso no tiene necesariamente que ver con los lazos de sangre. Especialmente como trabajadores culturales, artistas, siempre estamos buscando a alguien en el pasado que nos inspire... que sea capaz de navegar en este mundo donde el suelo siempre se mueve... - Carla Melo
Conoce a Lara Arabian y Carla Melo, Lara es la escritora/intérprete y Carla es la directora y cocreadora de “Siranoush'', un espectáculo unipersonal multimedia y multilingüe que formó parte del Festival Rutas de este año. 
Lara Arabian es una artista trilingüe nominada al premio Dora basada en Toronto a través de Beirut, Líbano, el norte del estado de Nueva York y París, Francia. También es una educadora apasionada de las artes y forma parte de la facultad de Sheridan College en los programas de preparación para teatro musical y artes escénicas. Carla Melo (Ph.D., UCLA) es una investigadora, directora e intérprete comprometida con la creación y el pensamiento crítico sobre las intersecciones de la actuación, el compromiso social y el activismo. A través de un lente decolonial y hemisférico, ha prestado especial atención a los performances de todo el continente american