Swallows and Armenians

Swallows and Armenians – Flying South

Sailing in Kara Sow: Eleanor Turiansky as Taqui, Heather Gorniak as Titty and Mikey Tsoukkas as Roger.
Photo: Asadour Guzelian

2025 has been a year of incredible achievements as well as a few challenges that we took in our stride. The film of the production was launched on 19 August 2025, symbolically marking the anniversary of the 2016 cinematic release of Swallows and Amazons, the most recent version that, like its predecessor, did not refer to the Armenian origins of the children who inspired it. The film can be viewed on YouTube here.

In early June, rehearsals for the show in studios at Guildford School of Acting (GSA) were short, but intense and productive.  Our cast of actor-musicians were absolute professionals and with the support of our talented creative team, the show came together incredibly quickly. 

We moved to the Chelsea Theatre, World’s End, London for a final dress and tech rehearsal and opened to a full house on Fri 20 June.  On Sat 21 June a matinee and evening performance challenged both cast and audience with the theatre’s broken air conditioning for the hottest weekend of the year, reaching over 32 degrees C! We did indeed feel as if we were in Aleppo for Act Two!

“Thank you for your voice, for your work,
and that too of everyone else in extension,
who brought it all to life.
I was deeply moved
and my heart felt many things.”

Henry Avedian as Ernest Altounyan and Eleanor Turiansky as Dora Altounyan.  
Photo by: Asadour Guzelian

Hands-on identity-themed mapmaking workshops were also popular. From February-June, over 87 children and adults took part: in London, Hayashen Youth Club in Ealing and Club Ani School Holiday Club in Brentford; and in Leeds, Spring Bank Primary School, supported by the attendance of one of their alumni, Persia Babayan-Taylor, our director and composer.  These children also came to see the theatre show.  For most, it was their first experience of theatre.

Review

North West End UK gave us 

Other reviews can be read here
Reviews from The Chelsea Citizen can be viewed here

A Note from the Director

When originally approached to collaborate in the creation of Swallows and Armenians, I, like many who come across it, was naive to the significance of this astonishing story and unaware of how the journey of the Altounyans mirrored my own family history; across the Middle East and all the way to the Lake District and back again. War, climate change and political upheaval in our time has contributed to so many families experiencing migration, displacement, the struggle to survive and finding a place to belong. This play represents that resilience, courage and diversity that stretches across the world and back to our own doorsteps.

It quickly became clear how important it was to stage this story, and we will be forever grateful to the children of the ‘Swallows’ — the Altounyan and Guzelian families — for sharing their stories, and trusting us to carry them. It has also been a pleasure to work with our cast and team of creatives, who have so thoughtfully brought our production to life. It has been exceedingly special to learn about their own journeys, their family histories, and how much this story means to them.

Since the play’s original inception in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria in 2022, it has been a priviledge to help the story grow and see Swallows and Armenians ‘fly the nest’ again, reaching new audiences, hearts and minds.

This play is dedicated: To the six for whom it was written and the stories they inspired.
Persia Babayan-Taylor

Synopsis

Act I: Coniston 1978 Mavis Guzelian/Titty Altounyan is in her family home, overwhelmed with telephone calls from journalists vying for her to give an interview for ‘Ransome Week’. As Titty begins to reminisce about her family’s link to Arthur Ransome and her adventurous childhood, we move back in time.

Coniston, 1928 The excited Altounyan children pack a picnic with their housekeeper Ada. Arthur and the children’s father Ernest, decide it is a fine day for sailing. They race their boats across Coniston Water then have a picnic on Peel Island. Arthur Ernest and Roger go fishing, while the girls occupy themselves. Restless,Taqui and Susie leave Titty on her own. She ponders about home, questioning where she belongs. She is interrupted by two local children, Georgie and Pauline, who make fun of her name. A storm is brewing and everyone returns home.

Coniston, 1931 Arthur recalls the summer of 1928, and how integral it was in his writing of Swallows and Amazons. He shares how the book came to be written in response to a request from an American children’s literary magazine.

– Interval –

Act II: Aleppo, 1932 Arthur is staying with the Altounyan family in Syria and is struggling with writer’s block. Tensions build between Arthur and Ernest. Alone, Arthur wonders how his life could have been different if Dora had married him instead of Ernest. Later Arthur and Dora exchange strong words as he suggests his plan for Titty’s future. Meanwhile, the children skip lessons and go to the Altounyan hospital kitchen where they meet Anoush, a hospital cook.

The children return and quiz Arthur on their fictional characters. Ernest and Dora appear. Arthur challenges them on the children’s lack of discipline and organised schooling. Dora tries to explain their child-led approach. After a heated exchange, Dora suggests some respite at Kara Sow. Arthur Dora, Roger Susie and Titty travel there and enjoy sailing and a fish stew.

They return home to find Ernest upset. Arthur criticises Ernest for the way he treats Dora and repeats his concern about the children’s education. He offers to adopt Titty. Ernest is offended and feels betrayed by his ‘friend’. Arthur decides he should leave straightaway. Dora gives him a portrait of Titty ‘instead’.

Windermere, 1932 The Altounyan children write to tell Arthur they are at boarding school and not at all behind their peers. They tell him how important his book, Swallows and Amazons, is to their friends.

Coniston, 1978 Titty expresses mixed feelings towards her ‘Uncle Arthur’. She says it is because he used her name, that he alone is responsible for any resulting confusion.

The audience were welcomed to join the cast and team at the end of the performances
in a Circle of Life circle dance led by Shakeh Major Tchilingirian.

As part of the legacy of the project, a book of the script has been published by Wild Pansy Press.  It is a stunning publication of 80 pages with the entire script, supporting essays by the writer and director, information about the score with selected extracts, historical information, a glossary and 2 colour images of contemporary works from the touring exhibition by Karen Babayan.  This is useful material for theatre makers, students of theatre, academics, libraries and enthusiasts of the Swallows and Armenians story, and can be purchased here

Swallows and Armenians – The Play (cover). Image: “Write me something to smell the wind and water again.” Karen Babayan, digital photo on aluminium. Adapted from an original photo c.1924 ©Altounyan/Guzelian family archive.

Background:

Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons is a classic book about children having adventures on a lake. The Walker family have always been depicted as quintessentially English in the book, film and TV adaptations of the story; but what has been known but still, widely ignored is that Ransome modelled his characters on the Altounyans, an Anglo-Armenian family from Aleppo, Syria. Swallows and Armenians reinstates the cultural diversity of the children who inspired Ransome, delving into the very special but fractured relationship between the family and their friend, the famous children’s author.

The Swallows and Armenians Story

Swallows and Armenians is a fascinating story of friendship and family, love and jealousy, with a good measure of sailing thrown in!  The book by artist and author Karen Babayan has been a highly successful touring exhibition and a devised performance at Theatre by the Lake with Young Company, (the theatre’s youth theatre).

Swallows and Armenians – Flying the Nest 2020/21, the touring exhibition visited the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham,  Northumberland after two delays caused by Covid and building works. The exhibition was their first since the 2020 lockdowns and the tour ended on the 20 November. As well as the contemporary works in photography, painting, print and wall-based text by Karen Babayan, the full collection of paintings by Mavis (Titty) Guzelian, Dora Altounyan and WG Collingwood generously loaned by the Guzelian Collection could be seen and included, for the first time, a new work The Swallow, an exquisite painting by WG Collingwood, which was kindly loaned by Teresa Smith, daughter of Robin Collingwood.

‘Swallows and Armenians – Flying the Nest’ 2020/21 further venues: the exhibition tour visited the Old Fire Station, Carlisle, Cumbria and The Maritime Centre, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland during 2020. The project received further Arts Council Lottery support for an audiobook, the exhibition tour across the north of England and the development of a theatre script.

Previously: Swallows and Armenians,the book was launched on the 9th March with an article in The Guardian and a photo by AsadourGuzelian in The Times. The project received an Arts Council England award and the book launch at Theatre by the Lake, University of Leeds and NvarteGulbenkian Hall, London, were booked to capacity.  Swallows and Armenians, the project included a book of short stories, exhibition of multidisciplinary work and performance, Swallows and Armenians and Us! at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Cumbria.

Zoom talks available on youtube.com: for the Armenian Institute, November 2019

Header image: The Swallow, by WG Collingwood, (collection of Teresa and George Smith)can be seen at The Queen’s Hall, Hexham 18 September – 30 October 2021.