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An Interview with Kheirollah Taghianipour, Writer & Director of 'The Colonel'

Let Actors' Talents Emerge

Iran Theater: Kheirollah Taghianipour is among writers and directors of theater who pays due attention to Iranian identity. His artworks usually connect to the audience.

Taghianipour has so far written, played in and directed many plays in Tehran and other cities. He has grabbed lots of domestic awards.

He has written and directed 'Pari', 'Soil', 'Reporter' and 'Silent Shout of Tehran's Memory'.

‘The Colonel’ is about Aziz, a 35-year-old young man from a rich Qajar family who has ambition to rule Tehran. It opened at the main auditorium of the City Theater Complex on October 8. The 100-minute play has performance every day except for Saturdays at 19:30 at main auditorium of the City Theater Complex.

Hossein Pakdel, Shahram Haghighatdoust, Atabak Naderi, Cyrus Hemmati, Arash Asefi, Mona Farjad, Atiyeh Javid, Mostafa Sassani, Javad Pourzand, Vahid Nafar, Alireza Nasehi, Elaheh Shahparast, Hossein Shafiee, Mohammad Shokri, Siamak Toudeh-Fallah, Mohsen Mehri, Anahita Khosrawi, Samira Salimi, Zaynab Qamari, Milad Ebrahimi, Mahyar Tahmasbi, Hamed Badiee, Negar Jafari, Sarvenaz Jamshidi, Amir Baadbedast and Aysan Haddad are the cast.

Salar Aghili has song some tracks for 'The Colonel'. Babak Zarrin is the composer.

Taghianipour talks more about the show?

You have been strongly present in the visual media such as television with TV series like 'Laughing Clinic'. Do you prefer directing in cinema and television to theater?

Theater has many attractions for me. I like experiencing direction in cinema and theater. I tried to have a good social comedy and do studies during making 'Laughing Clinic'. Another most important matter was to make a quality series.

What are the characteristics you are seeking when writing or directing a piece for theater especially when you had written and directed 'Pari' and Turkey' with traditional Iranian theme?

I have never denied my interest in Iranian plays. They are narrating part of rich Iranian culture and the audiences like to see them in the form of performing arts. When a person is in Ta'zieh costume, people circle him even if he does not play Ta'zieh passion play.  

You have put a board in the middle of set and theme of the music is directly referring to status of Ta'zieh in 'The Colonel'?

Yes. My approach is the employment of structure and elements of Ta'zieh in the play. Iranian spectators know Iranian rituals, art, traditions, puppets, Ta'zieh and etc very well and welcome them in plays enthusiastically.

Why have you used non-linear and combination of surrealism with realism in your structure?

Such models of performance exist in Ta'zieh of Sultan Gheis.

How much did you let the actors to be free to have their own tag words?

I let actors show their assets. Then, I will decide about their assets whether to be included or excluded the play. I let actors to fly as far as they can on the set. I am cautious about using tag words.

Who is the main character; Einoddoleh or Aziz?

Aziz is the main character.




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