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.
Film screening - Admission free
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.
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 Shieveh Theatre Company
Premiere February 2022, Iranshar Samandarian Hall (Teheran)
Wiener Festwochen 2016 Die Anpassung
