Speaking at a session held after his documentary was screened on the sixth day of the Fajr Festival on Saturday night, he said that ta’zieh is a drama based on classical art which can quickly and easily communicate with the audience.
“Music in ta’zieh plays a major role and follows up the story of the play to the end. Music is not something on the side. With the help of various kinds of music, the characters change, too,” he added.
Ta’zieh has a dramatic structure and form and can be staged both in open or closed spaces, he said, adding that the play “The Ta’zieh of Braveheart Hur” was written by Mir Aza Kashi and filmed in Zavvareh, a town near Ardestan in Yazd Province.
Hur was a commander of Muawiya’s troops who joined Imam Hussein (AS) on the night of Ashura and was martyred in his company as one of the bravest.
Taqvaii made the ten-minute documentary film on ta’zieh for registration of the Iranian passion play on UNESCO’s list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The film shows the value of the Iranian passion play. The documentary also describes how it is in danger of being forgotten and offers suggestions on ways to reinvigorate and save the art of ta’zieh.
Ta'zieh is one of the oldest theatrical traditions of Iran. It is a form that combines Islamic fact and fiction with ancient Iranian ritual.
Today, ta'zieh is not only an exercise in religious narration, but a performance that meshes didactic rhythmic schemes with theatrical props to visualize the passion of Imam Hussein (AS) for a lay audience. Therein they learn about the virtues of Imam Hussein (AS), his notions of right and wrong, and the power of divine justice.
RM/HG
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MNA