A famous allegorical satire by one of Iran’s most influential playwrights will be staged In West Vancouver. The late Bijan Mofid wrote The City of Tales (Shahr-e-Ghesseh) in 1967. The Blackout Art Society will present the play in Farsi at the Kay Meek Arts Centre on November 5.
In the director’s note, Amir N. Hosseini describes The City of Tales (Adapted) as “a story that encapsulates both the bitter and sweet truths of Iranian society”.
Moreover, Hosseini adds, “it tells the tale of a city whose inhabitants are very familiar to us: religious fanatics and devout individuals (the fox), superstitious followers (the bear), ignorant people who always choose the simplest and most obvious solutions (the donkey), intellectuals with little study (the parrot), and women who area only valued for their sexual characteristics (Aunt Cockroach).”
“It is clear that a text with such features, in a society where discussing flaws and self-criticism is not an easy task, was far ahead of its time, and perhaps that is why this play has always held a special place in the minds and hearts of Iranian audiences,” Hosseini states.
In the Journal of Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy, Turkish scholar Seval Günbal Bozkurt wrote that although Mofid’s play “appears to address children at first sight, it is actually a narrative that focuses on contemporary sociopolitical issues”.
Blackout Arts Society’s largest project
Bozkurt points out in her paper that the donkey engraves wood whereas the camel is a storyteller.
“The dog is a herbalist selling aromatic herbal teas and spices,” the Turkish scholar continues. “The crow is busy with gossiping. The horse is in the refinery business. The mule is a blacksmith, the bear is a fortune teller, the fox is a mullah [learned Muslim] teaching at a madrasah. The rooster is a lecturer. The parrot writes poems and publishes them in a magazine. The mouse is unemployed and is just in love, singing sad songs. The frog is a diver, the woodpecker is a carpenter, the owl is a painter, the monkey is a dancer, and the goat is a draper.”
Furthermore, Bozkurt notes, “Khaleh Sooskeh [Auntie Cockroach] wanders around in The City of Tales in her beauty and is busy with getting the residents of the city to fall in love with her.
In addition to directing The City of Tales (Adapted), Hosseini is artistic director of Blackout Art Society. He describes this play as the largest project that his company has ever undertaken.
There are nine performers: Simran Sachar, Tyler Layton-Olson, James Amzin-Nahirnick, Emmalena Fredriksson, Kira Radosevic, Sophia Makarenko, Kristian Arciaga, Benedict Quedenbaum, and Tobias Macfarlane. There are also 10 voice actors: Toufan Mehrdadion, Mozhgan Noroozi, Amir Hassanzadeh, Kambiz Karimi, Soha Sanajou, Yasaman Hosseini, Arsalan Nazeran, Roja Andi, Mohammad Fattahian, and Tanaz Roudgar.
“The realization of this valuable work would not have been possible without the collaboration of the talented and humble artists of Vancouver, who, for nine months, worked with us wholeheartedly, each contributing in their way to the enhancement of this project,” Hosseini states in his director’s note.
STAND Festival celebrates underrepresented artists
In addition to producing and presenting The City of Tales (Adapted), the Blackout Art Society is co-presenting the STAND Festival Theatre series with Presentation House Theatre. It includes six events, five workshops, and an exhibition running until November 17.
The Blackout Arts Society launched the STAND Festival in 2021. It’s capitalized because STAND is an acronym for Strength Through Art Network Diversity.
“The STAND Festival stands as a beacon, illuminating the power of art and diversity and championing the voices of those often overshadowed, guiding them toward their artistic aspirations with unwavering support and solidarity,” the society states on its website.
The first event in the series, Bekhand (بخند), is a comedy-theatre performance. According to the festival, it’s stimulated by Roshi Rouzbehani’s illustrated biography, 50 Inspiring Iranian Women and will be presented at Presentation House Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on November 9.
“With themes highlighting women’s liberation and immigrant experiences, this bilingual show—predominantly in English with elements of Farsi—is designed to resonate with a broad audience,” the festival says.
That will be followed at 7:30 p.m. on November 10 by The Toad Canes. It’s a thriller-drama exploring power dynamics. And it’s inspired by French Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist Frantz Fanon’s writings on revolution and violence.
Then, at 7:30 p.m. on November 15, there will be two 25-minute works-in-progress. Gay Ancestors and We All Become an Eye aim to tell queer and trans diasporic stories.
Workshops led by prominent artists
The following evening, Latinx comedian Pablo Zacarias will share songs, stories, and jokes in connection with his family’s narrative of intergenerational displacement. The STAND Festival will close on November 17 with I am 108, which will feature Juanita Bang Bang in a drag queen storytelling time show.
“Once used to discriminate against presumed homosexuals during Dictator Alfredo Stroessner’s regime [in Paraguay], this number has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of pride,” the festival states.
Moreover, there are some big names in the performing-arts world leading the workshops. They include choreographers Wen Wei and Alvin Tolentino, PuSh festival director of programming Gabrielle Martin, dramaturg Heidi Taylor, and actor and writer Sarvin Esmaeili.
In addition, visual artist Annie Hung is curating First Generation, which will showcase the art of young immigrants and older generations. It will be at Presentation House Theatre (Studio) from 7 to 9 p.m. on November 9 and 10 and from November 15 to 17.
For more information on the STAND Festival, visit the Blackout Art Society and Presentation House Theatre websites. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
