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 Soheil Parsa Photo by Geoff George Iranian absurdist rises from the dead at SummerWorks BY CAMERON GROVES Eye online August 2002 A mother and daughter argue about how to get rid of a corpse -- which turns out to be the body of a man who was lover to them both. A student tells his teacher about his after-school visits to a man's house; is this a gay love story or a tale of sexual abuse? Shadowy realities crowd into Abbas Na'lbandian's Stories from the Rains of Love and Death, translated from Persian by Toronto's Soheil Parsa. He directs the English-language debut of these interrelated one-acts at SummerWorks, the festival of 43 shows that begins Thursday (Aug. 1). What's astonishing is that, for all their up-to-the-minute cachet, Na'lbandian's plays were written in Iran a quarter-century ago. Parsa was starting his own career at that time, accepted on his third try into the University of Tehran's theatre program in 1975. His green eyes flash as he discusses that pivotal time in Iranian history, his face by turns thoughtful and ferocious. "Universities and university students were at the centre of the political movement. So we couldn't be indifferent, we couldn't say we were doing theatre for fun." Unrest was a fact of student life under the dictatorship of the shah, though Parsa stresses he was not an activist. Today he's the artistic director of Modern Times Stage, oft-applauded for inventive staging, visual intensity and strong performances. The company received seven Dora nominations for its 2001 production of The Chairs, including Parsa for best direction. Sent by Abbas Atrvash Send this page to a friend Who is your Iranian of the day? In Iran or abroad? Email your image
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