Event
Beyzaies play: Four Boxes and Exploring Humanties through the Persian culture.
The Epic Players, a non-profit theater group funded by the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC), is proud to present: Exploring the Humanities through the Persian Culture. In conjunction to the grand-opening of Bahram Beyzaies Four Boxes, this program includes concurrent retrospectives of Beyzaies films, concerts of Persian traditional music, and lectures by Iranian scholars and artists in Chicago, followed by interactive Q&A sessions.
Bahram Beyzaies Four Boxes, Directed by Farrokh Asadi
Synopsis: Four Boxes (Chahaar sanduq, 1979) is one of the Bayzaees more directly allegorical works about social and political realities governed by fascism and is a study of how a society manufactures its own dictators. Four characters appear on stage as four colors: yellow, green, red, and black, symbolizing intellectuals, clergy, merchants, and laborers respectively. At the beginning, in order to safeguard the interests of his own class, each contributes to the making of a scarecrow as guardian against some unknown external threat. Soon, however, the figurehead comes to life and becomes an autocratic depot that rules by the motto Divide and Conquer. The scarecrow breaks their alliance, and forces them to build four boxes, in which each is confined. This confinement is, however, self-imposed. Each character is more afraid of the others than of the despotic scarecrow. What we see in Four Boxes is what we are faced to see in our real life. In Four Boxes, seriousness is a form of joke, jest and fun, and its jest is also a form of seriousness.
(Kings Hall. Advance ticket $12, at the door $15, students $5. Runtime: 2 hours)
Bahram Bayzaie is an Iranian film director, theatre director, screenwriter, playwright, film editor, producer, and researcher. Bayzaie employs many common techniques including the use of poetic dialogue, references to traditional Persian art and culture and allegorical storytelling often dealing with political and philosophical issues. He is known as the most intellectual and conspicuous author in Iranian performing arts. The main theme of his works is the history and crisis of identity, which is related to Iranian cultural and mythical symbols and paradigms. Bayzaie has made significant contribution to the development of the theater and cinema of Iran and is considered as Irans most prominent screenwriter in terms of dramatic integrity of his works, many of which have been made into films. However, despite the popularity of his films and his substantial knowledge of the arts, the Government of Iran has never supported his career, neither before nor after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Even after some 20 years, several of his films have never received a screening permit in Iran.
For more information on the Epic Players of Chicago, or for more program information, please visit www.epicplayers.com, or contact the program director at farrokh.asadi@gmail.com.
MOVIE #1: Bashu, the little stranger (1989)Synopsis: Hailed as one of the masterpieces of post-revolutionary Iranian cinema, Bashu, the Little Stranger opens during an Iraqi air-raid on a small Iranian village bordering the war-front in Khuzestan. When 10-year old Bashus loses his home and his entire family in the raid he takes refuge in a truck that unexpectedly drives north, close to the Russian border. There he is assumed to be wildÂÂÂ because of his incomprehensible dialect and dark skin; only Nai, a mother of two whose husband is away for work, takes pity on him. Soon she and Bashu weave a relationship strong enough that Bashus traumatic experience with the war makes way for hope and trust. In Persian w/English subtitles. Written & Directed by Bahram Beyzaie.
MOVIE #2: Travelers (Mosaferan)ÂÂÂ Synopsis: A young woman's wedding becomes a ritual of mourning when her sister and family die in an auto accident on the way to the wedding. The sisters' mother refuses to accept her daughter's death, and in the midst of wedding guests and mourners, including the drivers of the truck that caused the accident, she orders the wedding to take place. But how can the daughter marry in the midst of a wake and without the family's traditional mirror, which the sister was bringing to the service? Written & Directed by Bahram Beyzaie.
MOVIE #3: Death of Yazdgerd. Synopsis: Bahram Beyzaie's famous movie (also play) "is a poetic, political and historic work, hailed as a masterpiece of modern Iranian dramatic writing. As an Empire falls to invading forces, one peasant woman speaks forbidden truth about generations of class oppression and sexual violence. Written and directed by Bahram Beyzaie.
EVENT #1 (PLAY):
"Four Boxes"
Written by: Bahram Beyzaie.
Adapted and Directed by: Farrokh Asadi.
Production Designer: Ario Mashayekhi.
DATES AND TIMES:
*Friday March 27, Friday April 3, and Friday April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
*Saturday March 28, Saturday April 4, and Saturday April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
*Sunday March 29, Sunday April 5, and Sunday April 12 at 4:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
The Copernicus Cultural & Civic Center (King's Hall), (www.copernicusfdn.org).
5216 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago 60630.
TICKET PRICES:
$12 advance tickets (on-line).
$15 at the door (box office opens one hour prior to curtain time).
$5 student rates (must be purchased at box office).
EVENT #2 (Selected Beyzaie films):
*Sunday March 29: Bashu: The Little Stranger (1989, 120min, Persian with English subtitles).
*Sunday April 5: Travelers (1992, 90mins, Persian with English subtitles).
*Sunday April 12: Death of Yazdgerd (1982, 120 mins, Persian with English subtitles).
TIMES/LOCATION/TICKET PRICES:
All films start at 1:30 p.m. at Room A in the Copernicus Cultural and Civic Center(www.copernicusfdn.org). 5216 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago 60630.
TICKET PRICES:
$5 advance tickets (online).
$7 at the door (box office opens one hour prior to curtain time).
$3 students (must purchase tickets at box office).
PLEASE NOTE:
Seating reservations will be released if tickets are not picked up ten minutes prior to curtain time. Thank you.
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LocationThe Copernicus Cultural & Civic Center
5216 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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