Quarter Finalist
Honorable Mention
about
Zareh Artinian (he/him), M.F.A., Dramatists Guild Member, is an award-winning playwright and published author who has had three shows produced in and around Boston, Mass. Zareh’s most recent work, a two-act musical called Shattered! (formerly The Glassblower’s Daughter) (music and lyrics by Kelvyn Koning), was just awarded first place in the 33rd Annual Jackie White Memorial Playwriting Contest and will be produced in the Columbia Entertainment Company’s upcoming 2024 – 2025 season. His script for his current work-in-progress, América Jonze, was named a Second Rounder in the Austin Film Festival 2023 and received an Honorable Mention in the Big Apple Film Festival 2023. He also created an original translation and adaptation of The Canterbury Tales: A Childe’s Tale as a commissioned piece of children’s theatre for the Revels of Watertown, Mass., and wrote the book for Beneath the Skin (music and lyrics by Melissa Carubia), a musical commissioned by Athena Louise Hyacinth Productions to tell the story of a woman dealing with mental illness and the de-stigmatization of asking for help. Zareh has published over a dozen short stories for middle school readers and additional works for the educational marketplace. His work appeals to both children and adults. Zareh has taught various writing and media courses at Emerson College, Sacred Heart University, and Eastern Nazarene College. He has a B.S. from St. Joseph’s College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College. An experienced editor, writer, and producer in a variety of media, as well as a consummate professional collaborator, Zareh believes that theatre and the arts have the potential to inspire and create opportunities for dialogue about many important issues we face today.
Also check out Lightning House Players, the theater company dedicated to presenting works of social justice founded by Zareh.
Shattered! (formerly The Glassblower’s Daughter): Ready for YOUR Theater!
Enjoy this promotional video for Lightning House Players’ workshop production of Shattered! An American Fairy Tale. To learn more about how you can stage this exciting, new musical for your own theatre company or school, click here.
From the Blacklist Evaluation of América Jonze
“The premise of a young Congresswoman crusading for gun legislation feels very timely and has a lot of potential. Political dramas are a tried and true genre, and this one feels especially fresh and welcoming of a younger audience. Even before the ending with Bowman, América is a complex protagonist. There are the hours she spent shooting with her grandfather even though she abhorred gun[s], and also her knee-jerk desire to out Bowman. These make her seem human and therefore more interesting than if she were just an angelic crusader for a worthy cause. The flashback scenes are disturbing and very effective, and they serve to remind us what America is fighting for at a pivotal point in the script. Vera is an interesting character; having someone who survived the same circumstances but came out feeling very differently from America creates a lot of opportunity for complex, thoughtful conversations and dynamics.”
From the 2024 BlueCat TV Writing Competition Analysis
“There’s a deep admiration that comes from reading a script such as this. The way that it handles the debate of gun control is real and honest, especially seeing how it handles the political versus the emotional stakes of the debate. It never feels performative or disrespectful for real shooting victims, something that is superbly articulated through América’s character. She is a school shooting survivor who has used the trauma and death she witnessed to try and create real lasting change with gun control, and numerous times throughout the script she is confronted with and accused of using her trauma for political gain. It’s so interesting to watch how this script critiques that line. It isn’t about what politics people agree on or disagree on—as evidenced by her conversation with Vera, a fellow survivor who leans Republican rather than leftist—it’s about getting to the root of the problem and stopping anything like this from happening again, the right way. What’s even more admirable is how the script still refuses to cop out with an easy answer, including the idea of centrism, that “both sides have something to say.”
“The structure of the potential show is also very interesting—sort of a look at America’s life and political career as a dramatic epic about her life. The flashbacks to one of her first protests are an excellent jumping-off point for further flashbacks down the line—to show how America has been defined by her young political career. It’s a fantastic way of tying in exactly who she is and what she wants.”
projects
Current / Recent:
Scripts
América Jonze, screenplay for TV pilot episode (idea by Brian Cirulnick)
Second Rounder Austin Film Festival, Semi-finalist ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Competition (final results in November), Honorable Mention Finish Line Script Competition, 2023
Today’s América, short play, 2023
The Big Brush, short play, 2023
The Christmas Affair of Richard the Third, short play, 2023
Canterbury Tales: A Childe’s Tale, adapted five of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as a stage play for children
commissioned by The Revels, Watertown, MA, 2021
The Glassblower’s Daughter, or Shattered! An American Fairy Tale, wrote book for original musical (music and lyrics by Kelvyn Koning)
First Place Winner 33rd Annual Jackie White Memorial Playwriting Contest (upcoming production 2024–2025 season), online workshop (2020), live workshop at Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA (2021)
Beneath the Skin, wrote book for original musical (music and lyrics by Melissa Carubia)
commissioned by Louise Hyacinth Productions, 2016
Previous:
Short Stories (in Odyssey magazine)
“The Mentor” 2011*
“Solo Solar Sailing” 2011
“Mirror World” 2011
“Afterman” 2010*
“The Allowance” 2010*
“Boy Hero Saves Space Elevator” 2009
“The Glassblower’s Daughter” 2008
“Gray Skies Over Utopia” 2008*
“Feeding the Lion” 2007
“Silent Guardians” 2007
“Hidden Mirrors, Hidden Worlds” 2006*
“Fire in His Eyes” 2006*
“Emily’s Smart New Clothes” 2006*
Non-Fiction
Pearson K–8 Science, wrote various video scripts, Pearson, 2017
The Atmosphere, Benchmark Educational Publishers (recommended by the National Association of Science Teachers), 2010
“The Carbon Cycle: A New Type of Recycling,” Odyssey magazine, 2009
“Marshmallow Molecules,” Odyssey magazine, 2009
“Edible Glass and Rocks!?” Odyssey magazine, 2008
Classworks Science, digital educational product, Curriculum Advantage, 2007
Virtual Biology Labs, digital educational product, McDougal Littell, 2006
Comprehension Expedition, digital educational product, Harcourt, 2006
What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers, edited by Ann Bernays and Pamela Painter, HarperCollins, contributor, 1990
*Seven of my stories from Odyssey magazine were republished in the anthology, Will Aliens Sing? Cover art is from my story, “Afterman.” Illustration by Ryan Durney.
press
Alum writes uplifting fairytale, commenting on sexism and corruption
The Berkeley Beacon, Oct. 28, 2021
Lightning House Players Present World Premiere Of Original Musical THE GLASSBLOWER'S DAUGHTER
Broadwayworld.com, Oct. 3, 2021
The show must go online: It’s a virtual start for new Quincy theater company
The Patriot Ledger, Oct. 6, 2020
Lightning House Players to Present Streamed Reading of Original Show THE GLASSBLOWER'S DAUGHTER
Broadwayworld.com, Aug. 31, 2020
THEATER PREVIEW: Social justice and awareness are focus of Quincy-based theater company
The Patriot Ledger, Dec. 7, 2016
collaborate
I’d love to hear from you! Let me know if you have a project you’d like to discuss with me. Fill out this contact form or send me an email directly at zartinian@LightningHousePlayers.com. I look forward to hearing from you!