Princeton Theater Program’s Latest Collaboration Results in the Production of 'A Moment of Silence'
Beauty lies in collaboration; in unique voices joining as one to bring a shared vision to life. Theater cannot be conducted or celebrated in a vacuum. It is the collective experience, both in the creation and experience of the art form, that affords us perspective. That perspective informs every facet of our lives moving forward, though the weight of it is often overlooked. We imbibe art daily, whether through our music, television, or social media. So much so that we forget to acknowledge the artists behind it and the influence they yield.
Princeton University is reminding its students how important artists and their gifts are. The university understands the importance of collaboration and the notion that art is political. The Princeton Theater Program’s “Rehearsal and Performance” course has united with English Professor Tamsen Wolff’s “Global Plays and Politics" course to bring audiences a production of “A Moment of Silence,” written by famed Iranian playwright and director Mohammad Yaghoubi.
'A Moment of Silence' focuses on the protagonist, Shiva, who wakes up to find that she has been asleep for three years and has missed the Islamic revolution.
Over the course of the following decade, she continues to slip in and out of sleep, only to wake to an unrecognizable world. Simultaneously, the play also follows the increasingly precarious journey of the scribe crafting Shiva’s story, as anonymous threats begin to blur the boundary between art and reality.
Reminiscent of the American fable, “Rip Van Winkle,” and the Christo-Islamic tale of the “Seven Sleepers,” the play examines the concepts of time, evolution, and escape. When the world around us feels too harsh to bear, do we turn a blind eye or do we forge ahead? Course lecturer and [the show’s] Iranian theater director, Nikoo Mamdoohi, says of the show, “These are universal themes that everyone can relate to. Would I fight for my country or run away? Do I leave Iran? Do I continue and care for my country? Or do I fight, and maybe risk my life for that? It is interesting not only for the Iranian community, but everyone in New Jersey who will see the play because these are deeply human emotions.”
Joining Mamdoohi as the show’s dramaturge is frequent collaborator and Princeton lecturer Q-mars Haeri, a postdoctoral research associate in Princeton’s Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies. Under Mamdoohi’s direction, the cast of Princeton students will learn of the socio-political experience of life in Iran through script analysis and performance.
Together, a team of Iranian designers and theater professionals are building a culturally specific yet relatable piece of Iranian-American theater. Joining Haeri and Mamdoohi are Omid Akbari, tackling set design, Afsaneh Aayani, handling costume design, and Pedram Babaiee, composing music for the production. The text, originally written in Persian, has been translated to English by the playwright Yaghoubi alongside Torange Yeghiazarian. However, it is important to note that this translation transcends the words on the page. Tradition lives in more than words. To share a culture that is unique to your audience requires the perspective afforded by diversity. Together, cast and crew are able to craft an experience that is accessible to the masses.
The culturally diverse cast and crew includes undergraduate lighting designer Alexander Picoult, stage manager Milan Eldridge, and assistant dramaturge Nadine Allache.
The cast and crew for 'A Moment of Silence' are purposefully diverse.
Regarding this purposeful diversity, the director states, “My mission in directing this piece is to make sure that everyone feels that these characters are very relatable. So, I did want people from all different backgrounds to take on these roles. A lot of what we do in rehearsal is to help the actors and actresses find how they relate to these characters. They’re not completely different people from somewhere else; they’re actually people exactly like you. They’re just living through a different environment and given circumstances.”
In addition to their work to provide context and understanding during rehearsals, Haeri and assistant Allache are jointly crafting a lobby display that will provide context to the show in an artistic manner. Haeri says, “I hope it will be inspirational, fun, and also informative. If you want to know more before seeing the show, we have provided a very entertaining way to do so,” though he’d like to note that audiences will be able to understand the show whether or not they have time to explore the lobby display.
Having previously directed “Home,” the first Farsi-language production staged at the Kennedy Center, Mamdoohi and Haeri seek to build bridges between the Iranian community and those new to the culture. They see this show as a continuation of that work; a means to unite through entertainment.
Mamdoohi explains of the production, “We want to show Iranian lives far from the [media-tized] version, and this play is excellent at that. In view of the recent Twelve-Day War, we are facing these issues all the time and through this play, we can see how war affects an ordinary family, and what that means as you’re living in a country under siege. I would love for audiences to take away this other version of private life, on a personal and human level. What it means for all of us.”
The production will be accompanied by a number of communal and educational opportunities, including a free post-show gathering with the playwright Mahammad Yaghoubi, who will join via Zoom on November 1st.
There will be a free “Translation Workshop with Torange Yeghiazarian” on November 6th, as well as a “Pre-Show Conversation with Torange Yeghiazarian” on November 7th.
November 8th will feature a “Post-Matinee Community Gathering” where Iranian and Iran-American communities will gather alongside anyone looking to find connections or learn more about these communities.
“A Moment of Silence” is presented with significant support from the new Princeton Humanities Initiative and by the University’s 250th Fund for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. Also supported by Princeton’s Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) and the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies.
For ticket information and more about affiliated events, visit arts.princeton.edu/events/a-moment-of-silence-by-mohammad-yaghoubi.
