Ruhollah Jafari:
‘Rahmard’ Proves Ta’zieh Can Turn into Theater
Ruhollah Jafari, a professor at Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research Branch, said that ‘Rahmard’ is inspired by mourning performing arts of Iran such as Ta’zieh and Hamed Hoshyari, its director, has managed to show that Ta’zieh as an art could turn into theater.
Dr Jafari said that ‘Rahmard’ had coupled Ta’zieh with narration very well and this is its advantage which used Ta’zieh as a form of art, praising the director for his effort in using Iranian form of theater.
The 50-minute play is performed every day at Ejra Plateau of the City Theater Complex except for Saturdays at 16:30 and 18:00.
Alaeddin Qasemi and Babak Vali star in ‘Rahmard’.
Ta’zieh, which means mourning literally, is condolence theater or passion play, inspired by the tragic death of the third Shia Imam Hussein (AS), symbolizing epic spirit and resistance.
It a kind of passion play being regarded as national form of Iranian theater with pervasive influence on the Iranian works of drama and play. It originates from some famous mythologies and rites such as Mithraism and Sug-e-Siavush (Mourning for Siavush). The Ta'zieh tradition originated in Iran in the late 17th century and predates modern theater traditions.