Mythologizing the Transition:
Bahram Beyzaie's Cinema and Theatre

The UCL Mellon Programme and supported by Iran Heritage Foundation

Dr Saeed R. Talajooy

Wilkins Haldane Room, South Cloister, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
and
UCL Garage Studio, Gordon Street, London, WC1E 6BT

Bahram Beyzaie is one of the most complicated figures of the contemporary Iranian cultural scene. He is a leading expert in Iranian dramatic arts and his outstanding command of the Persian language and narration ranks him high on the list of Iranian playwrights and script writers. In spite of this, his work, especially his theatre, has not received its due acclaim internationally and is relatively unknown. This symposium therefore aims to introduce and explore Beyzaie’s theatre and cinema by presenting the salient themes and features that establish him as an author-director.

The symposium includes four papers on his cinema and theatre and two of his plays performed in English. The papers include:

• Ta‘ziyeh and the Films of Bahram Beyzaie Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz of Institute of Ismaili Studies

• Nation and Heroism in Beyzaie’s Early Plays Dr Saeed R. Talajooy of University College London

• A Journey into Night: Bahram Beyzaie’s Silence Dr Proshot Kalami of Loughborough University

• Dramaturgical Structure of Death of Yazdgerd Vahid, Artistic Director of Goossun Art-illery

The first play, 'Arash', will be performed with a limited set but with full costumes in Wilkins Haldane Room at UCL by the students of Reading University.

The second play, 'Death of Yazdgerd' will be performed in UCL Garage Theatre by the students of Loughborough University.

For Programme click here

The event is free, but please contact Dr Saeed Talajooy s.talajooy@ucl.ac.uk to book a place.

For more information, visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/mellon-program/seminars/2009-2010

or

Contact

Dr Saeed Talajooy
Fellow in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies
VP Office (South Cloister)
University College London
London WC1E 6BT
Email: s.talajooy@ucl.ac.uk or srtalajooy@hotmail.com
Webpage: www.ucl.ac.uk/mellon-program/fellows/saeed/index.htm
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7679 7458