![Suren Nahapetyan]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1785150009/q5wadoml7mu4hwsgjxdf/e64c98c9e9d144251c4b0480b9692c55.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1785150009/q5wadoml7mu4hwsgjxdf/e64c98c9e9d144251c4b0480b9692c55.jpg","width":368}])
Head of the Arts Department and Teacher of Theatre
Education
- MA in Theatre Directing, Central Academy of Drama, Beijing China
- BA in Theatre and Film Directing, Armenian State Institute of Theatre and Cinema, Armenia Yerevan
- IBDP Certificate in Theatre
Bio
I am a theatre director and educator with over 11 years of teaching experience, including 6 years teaching IB Theatre. I have spent much of my professional life working internationally, developing my practice as both an artist and an educator. I studied Theatre and Film Directing in Armenia before completing my Master’s degree in Directing at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. My years in China have had a profound influence on my artistic perspective, allowing me to work and live between different cultures, languages and approaches to theatre and education.
At UWC Dilijan, I teach IB Theatre and aim to create a space where students can explore, experiment, take risks and discover their own artistic voices. I believe theatre is not only about performance. It is about understanding people, asking questions, developing empathy and learning how to collaborate with others. My goal is to help students become courageous, thoughtful and curious artists who are not afraid to make mistakes. Through practical exploration, research, collaboration, and reflection, I encourage students to develop both their artistic skills and their understanding of the world around them.
What is the favorite part of the course you teach?
The practical nature of theatre. I love watching an idea that exists only in someone’s imagination slowly become something real through the work.
Theatre is one of the few art forms where you cannot create everything alone. You have to listen, communicate, compromise, trust others and sometimes let go of your own ideas. I enjoy seeing students discover that the strongest artistic moments often emerge from collaboration and unexpected accidents. I also love the moment when students begin to understand that theatre is not simply about performing a text. It can be a way of thinking, questioning, investigating, and seeing the world differently.
Which teaching method do you prefer and why?
I believe in creating a classroom where students feel safe enough to take risks and brave enough to fail. Theatre requires vulnerability. Students must be willing to stand in front of others, try something that may not work, receive criticism, change their ideas, and try again. For this to happen, the classroom must be built on trust, respect, honesty, and mutual curiosity. I do not believe that a teacher should be the only person in the room with answers. I see education as a collaborative process. The teacher brings experience, knowledge, and guidance, but students also bring their own ideas, perspectives, and experiences. I want my classroom to be a place where everyone can learn from one another. My role is not to create artists who imitate me. It is to help students discover what they have to say and find the courage to say it.
What advice would you give to a student of your subject?
Be curious.
Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is not the opposite of success; it is often part of the process that leads to it.
Be brave enough to be vulnerable. The most interesting artistic work usually begins when you stop trying to look perfect.
Work hard. Talent is helpful, but discipline, curiosity, and persistence will take you much further.
Learn to listen. To your classmates, to your teachers, to your audience, and to yourself.
Watch theatre. Read plays. Look at paintings. Listen to music. Watch films. Travel. Talk to people who are different from you. Art does not exist in isolation.
Do not be afraid to change your mind.
And most importantly: do not try to become another artist. Your greatest responsibility is to discover your own voice.
Who is your role model or mentor or who inspires you?
I have been fortunate to learn from many teachers, artists, colleagues and students throughout my life. My education in Armenia and China introduced me to very different artistic traditions and ways of thinking, and both have deeply influenced who I am today.
What is your life motto?
Stay curious, stay brave, and keep creating.
What are the three things you can’t imagine your life without?
Creativity, curiosity and imagination.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy watching films and theatre, listening to music, traveling, exploring new places, football, tasty food and spending time with friends and family.
I also enjoy creating and discovering new artistic ideas, simply having conversations with interesting people. After spending many years living abroad, I have developed a particular love for exploring different cultures, languages, and ways of seeing the world.