AMID THE CLOUDS [DAR MIYAN-E ABRHA]

A Play Written and Directed by Amir Reza Koohestani - Biography

Biography

Amir Reza Koohestani
Playwright & Director

Amir Reza Koohestani was born on 8 June 1978 in Shiraz. When he was 16 years old, he started his artistic activities publishing short stories in the local papers of Shiraz. In 1995 - after watching some classic films - he was drawn to Cinema and took courses in directing and cinematography but quite soon, he abandoned this media. Two unfinished films are the results of this period of his activities.

In 1996, he made contact with one of the Mehr Theatre Group members who suggested he write a play based on one of his stories. Although this play was never written it became a motif for his relationship with the theatre group.

In 1999, Koohestani wrote his first play, And the Day Never Came, which could not be performed on the stage. In the following year, he wrote and directed The Murmuring Tales, the play that opened the doors of success to him. The Murmuring Tales received five awards in directing, playwrighting, male and female cast and the best play at the famous '18th International Fadjr Theatre Festival' (Iran).

Two years later, his third play Dance on Glasses was one of the most controversial and successful plays of Iran in recent years. This play has now been performed around Europe including at the Theater Der Welt in Bonn-Germany, at the Chekhov international theatre Olympiad in Moscow- Russia, the Hobble theatre in Berlin and Kunsten festival in Brussels.

As well as most recently working on Amid the Clouds, he has was also a co-director of an international workshop at the 'Theater Der Welt' festival (Image-Constraction-Site II) and participated as young artist in a debate at the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT). In July 2004, He was in International Residency playwrights on London Royal Court theatre.