Rafiei to stage “Fox Hunting” at Vahdat Hall

Ali Rafiei (L) directs a rehearsal of “Fox Hunting” at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on December 29, 2008. (Mehr/Hossein Golia)

Staged during 27th Fajr International Theater Fajr Festival this year, the play was banned 17 years ago in Iran for political reasons.

“Seventeen years ago, they said that Aqa Mohammad Khan Qajar resembled a political figure of that time, but that was not true. I did not have any political intentions in mind when I wrote it,” he mentioned.

He went on to say that he was never interested in political theater as a form of political propaganda because such plays have an expiration date and vanish from the history of art very quickly.

“I have modernized the Qajar era in this play because I believe that merely retelling history is useless. I am strongly against historical theater,” he added.

The play is the tragedy of power-hungry people similar to Hitler and Stalin, who are pathetic in their isolation. Such figures appear to recur throughout history, he said.

Rafiei mentioned that the theater troupe was invited to stage the play in the Netherlands, the acceptance of which depends on the facilities for performance in that country.

A stage director-turned-filmmaker following a 46-year theatrical career, Rafiei quit directing plays due to the bureaucratic difficulties he faced in staging plays in Iran.

“It Is Not Snowing in Egypt” was the last play he staged, which was performed at Tehran’s City Theater Complex in 2004.

In 2005, he tried his hand at filmmaking with “Fish Fall in Love,” which was acclaimed by critics and filmgoers.

SB/YAW

END

MNA