Niufar Mostafai, 25, has made her debut by staging a play, “Enemy of the People’, written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.
She said in an interview with IRNA that she made success in her career as a theatrician owing to her devotion and perseverance.
Clad in a dark scarf and greyish dress, Nilufar when asked by IRNA reporter: “How could such a young girl stage her first play? How did she dare to embark on a thorny path of putting herself to public judgement that newcomers take as stigma?” she said that being a director needs various experiences such as helping as a stage assistant, and other side jobs in theater.”
“So one can’t become a director very soon,” she added.
‘Enemy of the People’ is a 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The work, in a nutshell, tells the story of a man who dares to speak an unpleasant truth, and is punished for it.
“We wanted to say something that people say. Theater should reflect the society’s problems like the concerns of Stock man and other walks of life in Iran. We changed the doctor’s role to bring it much closer to Iran’s current society, his decisions have not been either white or black like everyone else,” she said.
“Doctor decides to leave the city because he can’t work there anymore. The situation and officials force him to migrate. In Iran, nobody likes to leave behind all his belongings to go to somewhere where one knows anybody else or can’t speak their language,” she said.
After the US Administration of President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in May 2018, that was meticulously negotiated during many years of hard work with the world, Washington reimposed its own economic sanctions on Iran.
The move plunged the country into economic turbulence that was exacerbated due to what the critics say the management inefficiencies as well.
Also recently, the government announced an overnight sharp rise in petrol prices that triggered popular protests, riots, looting and resulted in several deaths.
“But in Iran, I think that it’s still possible that we live in Iran and not migrate, but, we always think that we will have a better situation here. It might happen. However, we could be more successful here than any other countries because in those countries we will be considered foreigners but in Iran we are formal citizens,” she explained.
The young Iranian girl keeps her head high despite all the hardships that she has gone through to stage the play.
“It’s hard to be in theater in Iran. If you are younger, it’s much harder and if you’re a woman, it will be much much harder. We knew it would be a hard path,” Mostafai said.
She told IRNA of the times when she was judged for her age and sex.
“Also, people asked me if I were certain that I wanted to direct it at my age. We have been judged many times, at some point, people didn’t treat us well but despite all the hardships, we did it,” she recalls the first days of her endeavors.
“Very few people told me I can’t or that I’m a woman. I could even say not at all. But, some other people outside my own group, yeah, gave me that look,” she said.
It’s a perfect moment to ask Mostafai her opinion about women’s positions in Iran’s theatrical world, that is heavily dominated by men.
“There are very few female directors as 99% of theater directors are men. There are many more male actors than female ones. Maybe it’s because it’s a difficult path and many people shy away from that,” said the young Iranian woman.
That makes a woman’s path harder. “Sometimes, as a woman I have to prove myself.”
Maybe there are many 25-year-old men that are directors of plays and not many women. So, women are pushed to other things like being director assistant or any other side jobs in theater,” she noted.
Mostafai hopes that she has paved the way for more women to embark on the directors job. What is more important to her is “to get sense of concerns about the social or political situation.”
“It’s important to get sense of concern and do somewhat to reflect that concern to the people. It doesn´t need specified gender. I hope women do so as well because it’s important to want to do this,” she said.
She sees a bright future for female Iranian theater directors.
“Much of it depends on what we do as women. The more we do this, the easier it becomes. It’s possible to do so. There were also not many female actors a few years ago, but, now there are those who are active in this field. There are women who are studying directors job at academic level. We need to let aside our fears and take steps forward,” she added.
IRNA –