About the Play:

Controversial plays from some of Iran's leading dramatists, translated into English for the first time.

Aurash is a Persian myth dating back over one thousand years. In the 1970s the fable was adapted into a dramatic narrative by Bahram Beyza’ie. In Beyza'ie's story, Aurash, a naïve and human stablehand, becomes an unwilling player in his country’s post-war border treaty. He must determine his people's fate by firing an arrow from the top of a mountain.

What people say about Aurash:

"[C]ontemporary resonance from a story that sounds as old as time itself." — Toronto Star

The Death of the King by Bahram Beyza’ie. A retelling of Persian history. At the end of the Sassanian Empire, during the onslaught of Muslim invasions into Persia, the last king of Persia, Yazdgird III, finds death in an impoverished flourmill. Discovered red-handed by the King’s army, the helpless Miller, his wife and his daughter must reenact their experience with the King to prove their innocence – or else face a horrible death.

What people say about The Death of the King:

"[A] plot twisting narrative, made up of layer upon layer of truth and fabrication." — NOW

Stories from the Rains of Love and Death by Abas Na’lbandian. A quintet of interrelated one-act plays written in 1977. The play presents us with characters that are gripped by forces and events beyond their comprehension. Emotionally raw and psychologically unfathomable, they struggle to find reality and solve the riddles of life in environments that conspire against them.

What people say about Stories from the Rains of Love and Death:

"[A] fascinating piece, muscular, yet curiously elusive." — Toronto Star

Interrogation by Mohammad Rahmanian. Two youth, loyal to the anti-colonial struggle in Algeria, cannot stop their acts of violence even after the revolution has been won. Their stories tell a timeless truth: nothing enduring can be built on violence.

What people say about Interrogation:

"[A] dramatic language and tempo that can bolt the spectator to her seat…." — The Iranian

About the Playwright:

Soheil Parsa is an award-winning director, actor, writer, dramaturge, choreographer and teacher, whose professional theatre career spans twenty-nine years and two continents. In his native Iran, Soheil completed studies in theatre performance at the University of Tehran and began a promising career as an actor and director. Arriving in Canada with his family in 1984, Soheil completed a second Bachelor of Arts in theatre studies at York University and then went on to establish Modern Times Stage Company as one of the most exciting culturally-diverse theatre companies in Canada