“The Tempest” to hit Tehran theater with modern look
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Iranian director Mostafa Kushki plans to stage William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” with a modern view on the tragicomedy in Tehran.
“We have been working on the play over the past year and a half as Baqer Sorush is working to rewrite and prepare the play and we are rehearsing to reach the ideal performing concept,” Kushki told the Persian service of Honaronline on Saturday.
He said that “The Tempest” is a challenging play for his troupe and added, “Some plays are really plain and you can deal with it however you want, for example, Hamlet’s arrangements are clear for everybody, but ‘The Tempest’ is not so.”
He noted that his personal preference is to stage challenging plays and said that therefore, he often focuses on the plays, which have seldom been staged.
“The plays we consider, at a minimum, have had very few performances in the country and we like this challenge,” said Kushki whose troupe has previously performed Shakespeare’s plays “Coriolanus” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, the rest of the story of the play is set on a remote island, where the sorcerer Prospero, a complex and contradictory character, lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants, Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit.
The play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island. It explores many themes, including magic, betrayal, revenge and family.
The COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 forced Kushki to shut down his Tehran Independent Theater company. However, his troupe has continued its activities.
“We have worked for a long time, but we had a permanent place for just five years. We have temporarily lost the place, however, we have never stopped our productions,” he said.
“On our projects, we always use young, promising actors along with professionals. We try to introduce them to the serious area of acting; this has been high on the agenda,” he noted.
The exact place and date for the performance will be announced later.
source: Tehran Times