Tehran – The Play “Göbek Bağı” (literally means “umbilical cord”), produced by Iranian theatre director Mostafa pours Yousef and produced by Sara Haddadi, will be held in Istanbul on February 24th.
Focusing on experiences of migration, identity and emotional connection, the play aims to tell universal stories from a human perspective.
The story of the “umbilical cord” is about a family that can live anywhere on this planet. A family who locks themselves inside the house to escape from outside circumstances. They cut themselves off from the outside world, but suddenly, military officers enter their lives for years and live with them. Now their supplies are exhausted and they are caught up in a dilemma.
The play’s director Mostafa Pour Yousef will perform alongside Saghar Khamseh, Asma Jamshidi, Amir Janani and Parla Ardabili.
The iconic world of the play reflects the impact of dictatorships on small systems like family, showing how morality, religion and human society are hidden, examining the destructive consequences of power. Masu. However, the puzzle-like ending of this play is left to the audience to interpret.
In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, the project producer Sara Haddadi explained about producing non-Iranian plays.
“It’s more than just a performance. The umbilical cord is the result of a long and challenging journey. From writing and translations to translations of scripts to Turkish, to continuing rehearsals and collaborations with Iranian and Turkish actors and crews, the project faced many challenges. But our belief in the power of the story and its impact kept us immobilized,” she said.
“During the production process, which requires more than seven months of continuous effort, the team faces many challenges, including working with Turkish actors who have withdrawn from Project Midway due to cultural differences and professional approaches. “It was faced with, which forced the team to rely on their abilities and move forward with updated energy and bring play to the stage,” she added.
Referring to the theme of the play, Hadadi states: “In Iran, there are a huge group of resistance literature, and works influenced by circumstances such as oppression and dictatorship. The ‘umbilical cord’ is not separate from these issues. Our overall efforts are to address such themes as people all over the world are fighting these concepts, regardless of nationality, religion, color or race. This play is just the beginning. They also want to run “umbilical cords” in Türkiye and other cities in Iran, bringing that message to a larger audience. ”
The “umbilical cord” in Turkish attempts to portray a specific way of relationships between immigrants and host communities. The play was previously performed in Istanbul in November and December last year, and received a warm welcome from both Iranian and Turkish audiences and praised by professors at the Turkish Theatre University.
Photo: Mostafa pours Yousef into the scenes from the play.
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