Diaspora Arts Connection presents two plays by Mohammad Aghebati, featuring Afshin Hashemi's solo acting. Join us! Both plays are in Persian language with English subtitles.
1) Hamlet, Prince of Sorrow; Writer: Mohammad Charmshir; Director: Mohammad Aghebati; Actor: Afshin Hashemi; Producer: Mehrnoush Alia; Saturday, May 4 at 7:00 pm; Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 pm
2) Apartment; Writer: Keyvn Sarreshteh; Director: Mohammad Aghebati; Actor: Afshin Hashemi; Producer: Mehrnoush Alia, Saturday, May 4 at 8:30 pm; Sunday, May 5, 4:30 pm
Bundle Pricing: $45.00 for both plays.
About the artists:
Afshin Hashemi, actor: Afshin Hashemi is an actor, playwright, musician, and director. He holds a Masters in Directing and Acting from the Tehran Arts University. He has been nominated for many awards in Iran, including Best Actor in a Theatrical Role, Best Actor in a TV Drama, and Best Supporting Actor. In theater, he has worked with such renowned directors such as Bahram Beyzaie, Ali Rafie, Mohammad Rahmanian, Mohammad Rezaierad, and Hamid Amjad. In cinema, he has worked with directors such as Reza MirKarimi, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Mohsen Abdolvahab,Bahram Tavakoli, and Vahid Mousaeian. Hashemi has written and directed more than a dozen plays and four movies: Don’t Be Tired, Soft Voice, Temporary License, and Auntie Frog.
Mohammad Aghebati, Director: Mohammad Aghebati is a graduate of Theater Directing at Tehran Art University and was a Special Research Fellow at Yale School of Drama. He has decades of experience in directing plays for adults and young audiences in his native Iran. Aghebati has received various awards for his plays including the Young Artist Medal of Honor from Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami. Aghebati was a member of the Leev Theater Group, which is known as one of Iran’s most successful and critically acclaimed theater groups. In 2007, Aghebati was selected and commissioned by Japan Foundation to direct a new interpretation of Oedipus Rex, which played in Tokyo. Several of his works have toured various international festivals. In the US, “Hamlet, Prince of Grief” was presented as a part of the Under the Radar Festival at NYC’s Public Theater, receiving a great review from the New York Times. Since then, it has been presented at Asia Society in New York, Brigham Young University, University of Southern California, and Sarasota’s Ringling Festival. Since “Hamlet”, Aghebati has directed two other free adaptations of Shakespeare’s works “King Lear” and “Richard II”. His three productions for children have been on stage in various cities in Iran. “The Little Black Fish” won him the Best Directing and Best Design Award as well as Assitej Grand Price at Hamedan International Theater Festival for Children and Youth. Aghebati currently works between Tehran and New York, serves as a jury in various festivals, and teaches at various institutions including Tehran University.
Mehrnoush Alia, Producer: Mehrnoush Alia is a filmmaker working between New York and Tehran. She received her MFA in film with honors from Columbia University, and her BA from UC Berkeley in Film Studies and Comparative Literature. During her undergraduate studies, Mehrnoush worked in film distribution and exhibition at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive for three years. In New York, she trained with one of the leading indie film distribution companies, Magnolia Pictures and worked closely with the Director of Acquisitions. She also trained with Michael Hausman—the renowned producer of such films as Amadeus and Gangs of New York—during the production of Downtown Express. Mehrnoush has also produced over a dozen short films, one feature film, and two of Aghebati’s plays. Her directorial debut Scheherazade has won several awards and screened at over twenty-five film festivals. She has made several promotional videos and co-founded the distribution branch of Maaa Film to help promote Iranian films in North America. She is also the writer and producer of three documentary films. Sheherazade Now was a selection of 2018 IDFA Pitch Forum and has received a production grant from the Netherlands Transmedia Fund. Her other two productions, Chains and Jinns and Rojalat to Rojava, were selected to pitch at MediMed Forum. Mehrnoush is currently in developing her first feature that is slated to shoot in Tehran in 2019.
Grab your tickets and check out the Facebook event page below!
