Theater is not the provider of actors' lives

Ramin Parchami is an actor who became famous during the 90s with the series Dar Panah Too by Hamid  Labkhande, and after that he acted in many series and movies, and based on his theater education, he acted in various shows in the 2000s. We had a conversation with him, who is currently playing the role of a lawyer in the play Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s "The Breakdown" by Ehsan Naji about his experiences and his acting career.
The show is on stage in Shahrazad Hall No. 3.

 

 

How do you feel about playing a role in the theater that you are currently active in the theater?

- For me, acting in the theater is not that it doesn't have a special feeling (which it certainly has, and the fact that every night you have to play a role in front of a different crowd than the previous and the following nights, face-to-face with the audience, It is itself very special and has many characteristics!) but as it is usually thought and contrary to opinions and claims, it does not have attractive characteristics and special charms for me that I can mention as effective reasons and motivations that  as you said, they are the cause of my theater activity in the present time!

 

How do you choose the show and how close is "The Breakdown" to those criteria for you?

 

-If I want to answer this question honestly and away from conventional compliments, I must say that basically, during more than twenty-five years that I have been an actor, I can boldly admit that I have never had a million offers or even numerous and varied offers to play roles at a one time, So that I can choose among them the one that is closer to my taste  or has other advantages compared to other ones! Mr. Naji's proposal for the "The Breakdown" was initially unknown and ambiguous to me, but as always, I accepted it by trusting my instincts and feelings, and now I am happy to play a role in this show, which I can now consider as a lovely experience  and I want to call  the group full of energy and motivation, which is a worthy and collaboration from an artistic point of view.

 

 

At first, how valuable was the role of the lawyer for you and is this role of your choice?

-For me, the role of a lawyer has been a valuable and challenging role, as you say, which I will not say occupied my mind and attention, but understanding, practicing and playing it was a thoughtful and heartwarming process for me, and now that I look more closely at it,I realize that compared to other roles in this play, if I were to choose myself, this role of the lawyer would be my chosen role!

 

Does the theater financially support the actors and how else do you support your living expenses?

-In general, the activity in theater and performing arts cannot cover the cost of living in this country and provide artists economically. This is a fact that everyone knows and seems to have accepted, and no one is trying to change this situation. I don't think that acting or basically working in the theater is the only job for anyone, and the  stage artists are definitely busy with other professions!