A physical-musical puppet theater show, ‘Night, a Vulture on the Town’s Carrion’, directed by young artist Ali Asghar Salasi will be staged at the 34th edition of the Fajr International Theatre Festival, January 5 to February 1.
A free adaptation, the folklore unravels the legendary story of ‘Zahhak’ and ‘Freydun’, and is to compete in the ‘New Generation’ section, Honaronline quoted the director as saying.
In the world renowned epic poem, Shahnameh (literally the book of kings) written between 977-1010 AD by acclaimed Persian poet Ferdowsi, Zahhak is an evil figure and is mentioned in a small section of the poem. ‘Freydun’ is an Iranian mythical king and hero, seen as the symbol of victory, justice and generosity in Persian literature.
“The play is not much different from the original story in the Shahnameh; however, it is influenced by my personal view points on the tale,” said Salasi.
His views are the result of long studies on numerous analyses and interpretations and plays inspired by the story and its adaptations. “I’m not imposing my ideas on the audience, but the play lets each viewer have their own understanding of the show.”
The play is not dialogue-based, and is performed through physical motions and lyrical narrations, which contribute to creating a lively atmosphere, he added. Omid Dastan Pour, Alireza Aashouri, Amin Jalali, Reza Mousavi, Vahid Reza-Khanlou, Saeid Vafaei and Kia Salasi are in the cast.
The ‘New Generation’ section is specific to young and amateur directors.
The Fajr International Theater Festival, established in 1983, is an annual event, featuring local and international theatrical works and performers.
