An Interview with Morteza Esmail Kashi, Director of “Three Sisters”
The Show’s World Has Nightmare & Limbo
The Show’s World Has Nightmare & Limbo 2
The Show’s World Has Nightmare & Limbo 3
Iran Theater: Morteza Esmail Kashi is a talented actor of cinema and theater. He has had a long career as actor and director. He has directed “Three Sisters” by Anton Chekhov recently.
He had successfully starred in “Bernard Is Dead”, “Strange Creatures” and “Macbeth”, receiving the best actor award in the 31st Fadjr International Theater Festival for playing in “Woyzeck” by Reza Servati.
He also played in “Arghavan”, a movie starred Mahtab Keramati, Elham Korda, Nasim Adabi, Azadeh Samadi and Mehdi Ahmadi.
Morteza Esmail Kashi holds a master degree in acting and bachelor in cinema direction from Youth Cinema Center.
His “Three Sisters” is the product of his perspective, choreography and creative designing in an experimental workshop rehearsal. It is on stage in Mowlavi Theater.
The show’s producer is Noreddin Haydari-Maher, assistant director Mehrdad Bahaodini, planner Mohammad Reza Ale Taha, make-up designer Sara Eskandari, set designer Morteza Esmail Kashi, sound designer Kaveh Sattari, costume designer Nasim Maleki, lighting designer Ali Kouzegar, poster and brochure designer and photographer Mohammad Sadegh Zarjouyan, secretary Sara Khanaki, Roya Afzali, make-up artists Sara Eskandari Faezeh Soltani, Paria Elahi, Aida Astraki, set director Yasaman Adl, set construction Mohammad Panahi, deputy props-man Samira Ahmadi, media advisor Sam Beheshti and online advertisement Amir Qalichi.
Morteza Esmail Kashi talks more about the show.
Are you interested in directing as acting?
Before to be an actor, I took my degree in theater direction in 2007 by directing a play by Nikolai Gogol. I have not had directed any play for about a decade so I decided to have a new experience. Therefore, I directed “Three Sisters”. I had written an adopted version of the play several years ago and had selected the cast in my mind. The story is simple in one sentence it is the story of three sisters and one brother wishing to go to Moscow. I followed the story more based on the space of the stage and had risked to cut some parts of the story and …
Why have you had a modern performance for a classic play?
I do not use such labels for performing any play.
Do you have a new adaptation on Chekhov’s renowned play?
This performance was a major challenge for me. A realistic play has to be pushed toward a physical movement and a formalist theater. Actors express their dialogues sometimes seated and sometimes are immobile and have no outside gesture.
Can we say that you have presented a new interpretation and adaption for “Three Sisters”?
Yes. It is somehow new. Some professional theater-goers who watched the show believe it is poles apart from Chekhov’s play.
Do we face a play, which is independent from Chekhov’s play? Was there any need to mention to Chekhov’s play?
I cannot say it is a play by Morteza Esmail Kashi. The main characters are the same as those of Chekhov’s play. The story follows the same line. I cut out some parallel stories and emphasized on other parts instead.
Do you look in the world bitterly?
No. I love life!
But you show is in the other side?
There is bitterness in the show because life is forsaken. If the characters understand the life, they would not get mired in the sense of bitterness and disappointment.