Afsaneh Mahian, Naghmeh Samini
The Child
Theatre
Prices EUR 20 / 30
Language Farsi with German and English surtitles
Duration 75 min
Cancelled

Unfortunately, the scheduled performances of The Child have had to be cancelled as the leading actress, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, has been denied permission to leave Iran. We deeply regret this, not only because the play itself deals most impressively with the issues of border demarcation, migration and solidarity, but also because it is a tremendous example of the power of contemporary Iranian theatre.
You can find all information on refundation for the cancelled performances here.

Date
6 June
Tuesday
Time 8.30pm
Film screening - Admission free
 
6 June
Tuesday
Time 8.30pm
Film screening - Admission free
 
© Morvarid Ramezani
© Morvarid Ramezani
© Akhtar Tajik
© Akhtar Tajik

Three women are being interrogated at Europe’s high-security border. A Yazidi woman from Iraq who has fled the Islamic State; an Afghan woman who managed to escape her violent husband; and a Libyan woman whose life thus far has been defined by poverty, hunger and sexual assault. And then there is the newborn child. None of the three women admits to being its mother so that, even in the event of their deportation, the child will be allowed to remain in Europe. The exchanges between the official and those interrogated are heated, and all the while an interpreter tries to mediate. In the production by Iranian director Afsaneh Mahian, who last featured on the programme of the Wiener Festwochen in 2016 with A Bit More Every­day, all three women are played by the international award-winning actor Fatemeh Motamed-Arya. Her performance, played out on a track of sand laid out between the auditorium stands, is nothing if not spellbinding.

Artistic Team

Text Naghmeh Samini Direction Afsaneh Mahian Director’s Advisor Manouchehr Shoja With Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Mehran Nael, Shiva Fallahi Set, Costumes, Light design Manouchehr Shoja Stage management Mehdi Safarzadeh Khaniki International Coordination Gilnaz Yousefian Trailer Mohammad Mehdi Lorestani

Production

Production Shieveh Theatre Company

Premiere February 2022, Iranshar Samandarian Hall (Teheran)

Previous projects by Afsaneh Mahian

Wiener Festwochen 2016 Die Anpassung

Evening programme

The evening programme can be found here.

About the Cancellation

Unfortunately, the scheduled performances of The Child have had to be cancelled as the leading actress, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, has been denied permission to leave Iran. We deeply regret this, not only because the play itself deals most impressively with the issues of border demarcation, migration and solidarity, but also because it is a tremendous example of the power of contemporary Iranian theatre.

Workshop - cancelled

On 5 June there will be a theatre workshop with Fatemeh Motamed Arya und Afsaneh Mahian in cooperation with Brunnenpassage. Detailed info and registration here.

This might be interesting for you
logo
logo
Press the Enter key to search or ESC to close
The Wiener Festwochen would like to thank their main sponsors.