Creation  2018 & 2019

A documentary stage performance/artistic research by
Hossein Tavazoni-Zadeh

Introduction

We began by conducting interviews with a diverse group of women in their late 40s or 50s from various countries including Iran, Russia, France, the USA, Austria, and the Netherlands. In addition to these interviews, the performers also incorporated recorded dialogues with their own mothers and close relatives. This combination of materials formed the basis of the text, creating a mosaic-like structure. Central to the design of this project are four main sources of inspiration: the Iranian traditional passion play (Ta'zieh), the Iranian marriage proposal ceremony, Iranian mourning rituals, and F.G Lorca's play The House of Bernarda Alba.

Thus far, the project has been staged in Iran, Georgia, and the Netherlands. Initially, we shared the first phase of our rehearsals with the theatre association at Tbilisi Medical University in an abandoned theatre hall. Subsequently, we performed at the 6th Shahr Theatre Festival in Tehran, utilizing the hall at Pardis Theatre, as well as the surrounding yard and a historical cemetery neighbouring the venue, as part of the performance’s setting. Most recently, at the Grand Theatre in Groningen, we embarked on a three-week residency to further develop the artistic research. This residency culminated in a public presentation, marking the final shaping of the work on stage. As an ongoing project, we continue to collect documentary materials and refine the text. 

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