TEHRAN – Ala’eddin Qasemi, a major performer and director of tazieh plays, has said that online performance is a safe and ultimate solution as tazieh performances from across the country are being prepared to go on stage during the lunar months of Muharram and Safar amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Tazieh means mourning, that is, we perform and the audience sits and watches and reacts, but if gatherings are not permitted these days, the performance could be broadcast on TV channels and online platforms for interested people,” Qasemi told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview.

During the Muharram rituals, millions of Muslims commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S).

“Only the members of the troupes will gather to give a performance and this could certainly lessen the risk while it would allow people to experience the rituals during the mourning days of Muharram,” he added. 

However, he said that so far he has not received a proposal for any online performances. 

Qasemi further noted that these days are hard days for the actors, especially for the stage actors, and that tazieh actors and performers are not exceptions.

He added, “We don’t know what to do. It was about two months ago we talked about having a performance in Mehrab Hall during Muharram, but up to now there has been no word on it.”

“You know that tazieh invites the audience to come and sit next to one another. We cannot separate them. Tazieh is a performance from heart to heart,” he said.

“The truth is that nothing is clear yet. We have talked and have been invited for the performances before, but now in these hard days, we do not know what will happen. We will have to wait and see,” he noted.  

“Tazieh must be performed in a place like tekyeh or hosseinieh [places for seasonal religious rituals]. It needs viewers. We are not hopeless and we hope there will be something good happening,” he remarked.

He said that he doesn’t like to be far from the audience, that is, if he cannot see the audience, he would not get the right feelings.

He added that tazieh troupes usually go on stage based on invitations from various organizations, and noted, “Given that there are no contracts and no agreements, there will be nothing.”

“The performers want their money after each performance. If I invite them, I must first get the money in advance. If they would say do it without viewers, okay, we would do it,” he concluded.

However, the Rudaki Open-Air Theater announced that it will be hosting tazieh performances during the first ten nights of Muharram.

Rudaki Foundation Managing Director Mehdi Afzali has invited tazieh expert Ahmad Azizi, the head of Sayyid al-Shuhada Tazieh Troupe, to give performances.

Azizi said that the troupe will begin their performances every night after the evening azan (call to prayer) for ten nights.

“A big stage has been set up in the area and rows of seats observing social distancing have also been situated, observing health protocols proposed by the Health Ministry, so that the mourners can make the best use of these days and nights,” Azizi said.
 
Pointing to the high position of ritual art and plays, especially tazieh, among the Iranian nation, Azizi said, “We know that we are experiencing a different situation this year due to the spread of coronavirus, but the love of the Muslim nation towards Imam Hussein (AS) cannot be disturbed without repercussions.”

“The management of the Rudaki Foundation in addition to Iran’s Dramatic Arts Center, has had good cooperation with the troupe, and we hope the audience will make the best use of the performances,” he concluded.

In addition, several cultural and religious centers across Tehran will be hosting over 50 tazieh performances on Imam Hussein (AS) in a program titled “Mourning of the Sun”.

A number of the performances will also take place in the courtyards of Imamzadehs, the tombs of the Shia Imams’ descendants.

The courtyards of the cultural centers of Khatam, Eshraq, Razi and Bahman, as well as Imamzadeh Ali-Akbar (AS) in Chizar, Imamzadeh Ahl ibn Ali (AS) in Khavaran and Imam Hussein Square are among the main locations for the tazieh performances.

According to the director of the Khatam Cultural Center, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi, the performances will take place in open spaces observing health protocols.

The performances will begin on Friday and will continue until September 17.

Hojjatoleslam Meisam Amrudi, the director of the Art and Cultural Organization of the Tehran Municipality, had also announced earlier that the courtyards of its cultural centers will be dedicated to Muharram mourning ceremonies.

He added that the decision has been made to support the mourning groups across capital.

“About 60 cultural centers and culture houses with a capacity of over 20,000 individuals will be dedicated to the groups,” he said.

Photo: Ala’eddin Qasemi gives a tazieh performance in an undated photo.

RM/MMS/YAW