TEHERAN -- A play on the suicide problem in Iran “The Parallel Prowls” will go on stage at the 23rd edition of the International Theater School (Its) Festival in Amsterdam, which will be held from June 23 to July 1.

Directed by Payam Larian from Iran’s Tarbiat Modarres University, the play will go on stage at the Bellevue Theater on June 29.
However, the director of the play Larian told the Persian service of ISNA that the troupe faces financial difficulties in covering their expenses to attend the festival.
“The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology does not support us. The Center for Dramatic Arts announced that it will provide our tickets however we have paid for all expenses ourselves up to now,” Larian lamented.
He also complained about “the mistreatment” by the officials saying that the political relations between countries directly affect their cultural relationship, which is not a desirable situation.
“If I knew that we would face such financial problems to attend the festival in Amsterdam four months ago, I would have resigned,” he remarked.
“The Parallel Prowls” was one of the winners at the 13th International University Theater Festival however, the play has not been staged in Iranian theaters yet.
“The mistreatment by officials in Iran concerning public performance as well as financial issues discouraged me for staging the play but I hoped for an opportunity for performance of the play in Iran,” he said.
Festivals in Turkey, Spain and Sweden also invited the play for performance however, the financial problem must be solved, he added.
The play narrates the story of a writer who is writing his final story. Through a series of flashbacks, we follow three characters who come together to die, as is mentioned on the festival’s website.
The International Theatre School Festival Amsterdam is the biggest European festival with over 200 theatrical talents in more than 50 unique productions participating at the gala.