Butterfly Buzz has announced that the world premiere of Ātash Sorushān (FireAngels), a libretto written by writer, theater artist, and award-winning translator, Niloufar Talebi, will take place at , and its West coast premiere at
Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels) is a story aboutlove and connection. It tells the tale of two larger-than-life beings, Mana andAhsha, that dwell in separate realms, each convinced of their supreme power. Inan all out collision, as their outward and mighty facades crumble, atranscendent final movement begins with the realization that in our moments ofvulnerability, we are one. How can a devastating event between two dominantforces become a Ground Zero for love? How can we better understand our fellowhuman beings?
Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels) draws upon variouscultural elements, weaving ancient traditions of the East into modern and universal concerns of the present day. Mana is the Oceanic and Persianterm for the divine life force that embodies everything, and Ahsha is anAvestan term for truth/existence in Zoroastriantheology. Fire, considered an agent of truth, is the physical domainof Ahsha, the divine archangel. While Mana and Ahsha are not personified intheir traditions, Niloufar Talebi re-imagined them as characters by marrying theirphilosophical concepts with human characteristics. In the title,“Atash” is the Persian word for fire, essential for the destruction andrenewal of Mana, Ahsha, and all they represent, while “Sorushan” is the plural form of “Sorush” (in the singular, the proper name of a messengerangel, like Gabriel, who presides over the beginning and end of the world andwho fights the daemons threatening to extinguish the world’sfire/passion/truth). Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels), refers to therole both Mana and Ahsha played out, angels with a message of purification andpeace, ending a world and beginning a new one. Mana and Ahsha begin under theassumption of difference, and through the power of transformation, end byrealizing their sameness. By humanizing them, each with their own equallymagnificent strengths and weaknesses, this piece explores the grey areas ofhistory in the reflection of our past decade.
