30 Bird Productions

Majnoun

info — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:07:56 +0000

by Mehrdad Seyf

2004 - 2006
Riverside Studios and National Tour

Iran: no booze, no sex, no techno?

Majnoun blasts the Western image of Iran through the roof in a surreal and comic collision of images, music and text. 30 Bird exposes the relationship between Iran and the West, the role of women, the veil and the modernisation that swept the country during the 20th Century. A soundscape of popular Iranian and English music, a non-narrative structure, and sculptural design reflect the fragmented results of the peculiar marriage between modernism and tradition.

Inspiration for Majnoun

Landmark Dates

Credits

Press

“Before the start of Majnoun, I’d have said dramatic odds were heavily in favour of a worthy plod across the quagmires of cultural divide – news that the piece was performed in both Farsi and English didn’t suggest a barrel of laughs. But 30 Bird Productions had several aces up their sleeve that trumped my doubts: a roguishly clever script (by director Mehrdad Seyf), a cast of three gifted, versatile players, a set cunningly rooted in farce (lots of sudden little trapdoors and spy holes) and a tremendously uplifting belief in absurd humour as a valuable conduit for serious themes and provocative questions”.
Mary Brennan, Herald, 2006

“What’s more unexpected is the sheer childlike playfulness of the show: the fragmented comic surrealism of its style; the obsession with food and movies; the sexy banter between an Iranian girl and her English boyfriend. This is a vital show that raises all the key issues about relations between Iran and the West, and has the slightly self-conscious, in-joke charm of a piece that means a great deal to those whose experience it reflects, but which is only now setting out to be tested in front of the wider audience that so desperately needs to see it”.
Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 2006

“Playful, absurdist and comic…(Majnoun) is so deftly staged, so appealingly performed and has such high production values it is impossible not to like”
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian, 2004

“Told through a blend of cabaret, physical satire and occasional touches of the absurd the result is a highly enjoyable romp through Iranian mores and, indeed costume…Odd characters pop up to sing poignant ditties in Farsi, then cut to scenes recreated from film noirs, as shocking as they are comic, hinting at the imposed struggle between the sexes in Iran. All the while, a couple - he English, she Iranian - debate the cultural differences that threaten to divide them. All promising stuff, particularly when played over Leslie Travers’ inventive and deceptively simple set of flagstones and secret traps”.
Nick Awde, The Stage, 2004

“Majnoun is a deliciously subtle set of scenes exploring the conflict between imposed modernity and the Islamic traditions of Iran in the 1920s… It is sophisticated, confronting the past wrongs through humour and providing context for careful thought…moments of genius are pleasingly frequent”.
Tom Ogg, Culture Wars, The Institute of Ideas, 2004

“Through a series of fragmented episodes, arresting images and various songs, we are given a taste of what modernisation and western influence meant to a nation steeped in tradition…. Leslie Travers’ imaginative set springs surprises, the 3 actors give engaging performances and the music is stirring - most memorably Roxana Pope gives a thrilling rendition of Seyf’s original composition “Leili”. A tantalising evening”.
Theatreworld, 2004

The Maids

info — Thu, 11 Oct 2001 14:08:31 +0000

The Maids

by Jean Genet

October 2001
Studio Voltaire and Kingston Festival

Solange and Claire, servant sisters, both love and loath their mistress. As the play begins ‘Madame’ cruelly ridicules her devoted servant, Solange. But, as the drama unfolds we realise all is not as it seems. The deadly game of cat and mouse has begun. Claire plays Solange, Solange plays Claire, they both play Madame. As the tension rises the boundaries between fantasy and reality become blurred until the sisters are not sure where one begins and the other ends. In Madame’s absence the maids hatch a plot to rid themselves of their mistress, but on her return they revert back to their subservient roles and their plans of murder seem dashed. As the evening and game draw to a close who will be the victor?

A compelling study of sibling rivalry, despair and frustration The Maids is one of the most powerful pieces of modern French drama.

Credits

Press Reviews

but you speak such good English

info — Mon, 11 Jan 1999 14:09:19 +0000

but you speak such good English

by Parisa Taghizadeh - Marjan Safinia, 30 Bird Productions

Documentary
25 mins.
1999

but you speak such good English is a half hour documentary, which explores different aspects of the first generation Iranian immigrant experience from the insider’s perspective. The film focuses on the younger generation, who has very few memories of their country, and yet feels an undeniable pull towards identifying themselves as Iranians. The film is a fast paced and above all very entertaining look at the issues of ethnicity and separation told from the point of view of four dynamic and funny characters, including the stand-up comic, Omid Djalili.

but you speak such good English is the first documentary of this kind to focus on the Iranian population in London. The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 resulted in approximately 2 million Iranians leaving the country, of which approximately 40,000 have settled in the UK. This film offers an important opportunity to show another side to a community whose people are only ever portrayed by the media in a one dimensional way.

The film uses the tool of comedy to convey the more serious aspects of the immigrant experience in an accessible and palatable way. With lyrical sequences of dream-like Super 8 and music coupled with often touching interview material, the film offers an eye-opening look at a very private community.

Credits

Festival History

Press

Death by Heroine

info — Thu, 05 Feb 1998 14:14:35 +0000

Death by Heroine

by Mehrdad Seyf

February 1998
Riverside Studios

Black and white movies, love rebellion. Tehran in 1951, a cosmopolitan city on the brink of change. Two couples, Mammad and Minou, Parviz and Lily struggle to preserve their love in turbulent times.

An Anglo-Iranian collaboration to tell the story of an Anglo-Iranian crisis.

A tragic thriller set during the Mossadegh era (1951-1953), Death by Heroine explores the lives of two couples caught amongst the political instability of Iran’s first democratically elected government and the subsequent Coup D’etat. We follow their love as it flourishes amongst riots and finds comfort in black and white movies. But real life events soon overtake those of the silver screen.

“An epic love affair, enriched by innovative cinematic staging” Time Out

Credits

Press

The Parable of the Blind

info — Tue, 11 Jun 1996 14:16:23 +0000

The Parable of the Blind

Adapted from the Gert Hofman novel by Mehrdad Seyf

June 1996
Brixton Shaw Theatre

Six blind men look for the painter’s house where they will be painted walking, stumbling and falling into a ditch, in slow motion. The Parable of the Blind is a comic meditation on language, art, and human pain.

Credits

Press

The Persian Revolution

info — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:15:45 +0000

The Persian Revolution Video

The Parable of the Blind

info — Wed, 18 Sep 1996 15:22:58 +0000

but you speak such good English

info — Sat, 18 Sep 1999 15:24:49 +0000

The Maids

info — Thu, 18 Oct 2001 15:26:05 +0000

Death By Heroine

info — Wed, 18 Feb 1998 15:28:25 +0000