News

Swallows & Armenians Flies South!

London, 20 & 21 June; and Leeds, 27 June 2025.

Original photo: Asadour William Guzelian

I’m thrilled to announce that a full-length actor-musician production of Swallows & Armenians will be flying South in 2025, to London and Leeds.  

Tickets are available NOW for the 20^th & 21^st June shows at the Chelsea Theatre, World’s End, London SW10 0DR and for the 27^th June at stage@leeds, University of Leeds LS2 9JT. 

The script has been extended and Persia Babayan-Taylor, (Director and Composer), is creating new musical compositions to add to her exceptional collection of songs for the show.  We can’t wait to announce our cast for the show soon.

I will be giving pre-theatre show talks and we will be joined by the incomparable Shakeh Major Tchilingirian who brings her Circle of Life participatory circle dance event for all to enjoy, following each performance.

The story of the book, my contact with the Altounyan and Guzelian family and development of the theatre production can be followed on

https://karenbabayan.substack.com/

For those new to the project, Swallows and Armenians is a fascinating story of friendship and family, love and jealousy, with a good measure of sailing thrown in! It explores the close, complicated and often changeable relationship between the Altounyan family and Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows & Amazons.

This project reappraises a children’s classic of English literature, uncovering and celebrating diversity within British culture and has been made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery, through Arts Council, England and our supporters, through Just Giving.