TEHRAN – The play “People, Places, and Things” written by British playwright Duncan Macmillan is being performed at the Homa Theater in Tehran.
The play is directed by Rana Moghaddam and stars alongside Armin Bezadiniya, Saman Tohidi, Amin Kanan, Ali Hatami, Rozin Shams, Ameervalla Vahidi, Asar Shariat, Hasti Ahmadimanesh, Kiana Samadian, and Baran Rousdal.
The play depicts a harrowing look at drug and alcohol addiction and recovery. The writing of this piece was prompted by McMillan’s desire to write leading roles for actresses. MacMillan said, “I wrote this play because I strongly believe that there are many talented actresses out there who are not given roles that allow them to push themselves and demonstrate their abilities.”
In the play, Emma is an actress who is addicted to drugs and alcohol and ends up in a rehabilitation center. She is resistant at first, unwilling to have the honesty and trust necessary to recover. As she gradually follows the program, we experience her completely relaxing as she detoxes and faces reality.
The first production of People, Places, and Things was directed by Jeremy Herrin and opened in 2015 at the Dorfman Theater at the National Theater in London. The play was widely praised by critics for its depiction of addiction, and Denise Goff, who played the central role, won the Critics Circle Drama Award for Best Actress. The production moved to Wyndham’s Theater in 2016. Denise Goff won an Olivier Award for Best Actress for this role. The production toured the UK from September 2017 with Lisa Dwyer-Hogg, who played Emma, before moving to St. Anne’s Warehouse in New York City with Goff in October 2017.
Macmillan first rose to prominence at the Brantwood Dramawriting Competition at the Royal Exchange Theater in Manchester, where he won two awards in his first year for his play Monster, which was also nominated for the TMA Best New Work Award and the Manchester Evening News Best New Work Award. Many of Macmillan’s major plays have contemporary socio-political issues as central themes.
“People, Places, and Things” will remain on stage until November 30th at Homa Hall, Ziva Dead End, Nofer Rochat Street, Hafez Street.
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