The presence of artists from the provinces is a positive characteristic of FITF

Ali Borji is a stage actor, playwright and director, whose numerous activities in the field of religious theater and sacred defense shows have made him known as one of the well-known artists in this field.

                                

The show "Day Tenth" written by Asghar Garousi and went on stage   in the second day of FITF in Chaharsoo Hall of City Theater Complex.Iran Theater talked with Ali Borji about the Fadjr Festival and the show "Day Tenth".

Tell us about the story of the show "Day Tenth".

- Gholamhossein is a Ta’zieh-khan (Ta'zieh performer)who lives with his bride in an old house. Qassem, his son, has been fighting for four years in Iran-Iraq War and there’s no news of him. The people of the neighborhood believe; Gholamhossein's son has been martyred, but he and his bride do not accept. On the other hand, Cyrus, the son of Haj Gholamhossein's nephew, who has been in loves with Gholamhossein’s bride, decides to propose after four years. This is the main theme of the story.

You are mostly known as a director who works in the field of sacred defense and religious theater. In your recent experience, you selected a play combining both fields, why did you choose such a play?

- Yes, I have been active in the field of holy defense theater for many years and have brought on stage shows such as "Jahesheh", "The Last Letter" and "The sky is raining for you" with this theme, and I have also worked as an actor and director in the field of religious theater. The most important reason that made me choose the" Day Tenth" for performance is the combination of ritual drama and holy defense in the play. Gholamhossein's and Mahtab's anxious wait for Qasim's return along with the action and reaction between the characters and Asghar Garousi's eloquent prose were other factors in choosing this work to participate in the stage section of the 41st Fadjr International Theater Festival.

You also hired Ta’zieh veterans in the cast, What was the basic choice of the cast?

- I was looking for people who have both experience acting on the stage and are familiar with Ta’zieh, so I invited actors who have experience in both.

Culture Minister Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili watched your second performance. If you wanted to make a request to the Minister as an artist who has been active in the theater field for many years, what problems of the theater community would you raise?

- If the discussion of the request starts about the problems of the artistic community, the conversation will take a long time. The fact is that I am asking for peace to be created for us so that we are not so caught up in the censors. Many artists in the theater field have reached an age and depending on their circumstances, they are offered to participate in few works, these artists definitely need more work and financial support.

The theater artists of the cities have a great contribution in the 41st FITF, do you evaluate this as a positive or negative part of the festival?

- The presence of artists from the provinces and cities of the country is definitely a positive feature of the 41^st FITF.

The 2023 FITF is underway the Iranian capital until January 31.