Ta'ziyeh: Indigenous Avant-Garde Theatre of Iran

Chelkowski, Peter

doi:10.2307/3244963

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Parades were organized on the streets and squares, Bazaar were closed, and building facades covered in black. (Chelkowski, 1977). In the 12th century, the mourning ceremonies of Muharram were held throughout Iran, and both Sunnis and Shias participated in them.…”

Section: The Socio-political Importance Of Muharram Ceremonymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Hosseiniyeh”; İran Geleneksel Kentlerinde Bir Ara Mekan

SOLEİMANİ

Golabi

2023

Kent Akademisi

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The present study aims to analyze the socio-spatial roles of Hosseiniyeh as an in-between space in the hierarchical structure of the Iranian cities. The notion of in-betweenness refers to the architectural qualities that contribute to the reciprocal states of separation and connection between conflicting realms. In-between spaces are the key elements to support the integration of urban areas. The attention was devoted to the importance of the in-between space when it was cleared through the zoning principles of modernist urbanism. Large open areas among free-standing buildings have produced massive gaps that damage the unity of urban spaces. In spite of the criticisms, the modernist approach is still prevalent. Therefore, there is a need to reconsider the ideas like the in-between space. “Hosseiniyeh”, a small neighborhood square in traditional Iranian cities, is selected as the case study. With a strict geometrical form, it presents a transitional space between the public realm of the Bazaar and the semi-public realm of a neighborhood in the organic urban fabric of Iranian cities. Constructed during the Shiite Safavid government (1501 to 1736), the main function of Hosseiniyeh is to serve as a venue for the only indigenous theater engendered by the world of Islam, the Ta'ziyeh. Based on the theoretical framework of the in-between space, the architectural qualities of Hosseiniyeh are evaluated. The findings illustrate that the small square could meet the criteria to be an in-between space. Hosseiniyeh became an “intermediate space” between the two socially and functionally different areas. It acted as a multi-functional place that implies the end of the public realm and the beginning of a residential area. With its specific socio-political character, the square reinforced the Shiite identity and contributed to the unity of urban spaces.

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Section: The Socio-political Importance Of Muharram Ceremonymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Safavid period, "the Muharram observances received royal encouragement; commemoration of Hossein's martyrdom became a patriotic as well as a religious act" (Chelkowski, 1977). From a sociopolitical perspective, Muharram ceremony acts as a means of legitimacy for the Safavid rulers.…”

Section: The Socio-political Importance Of Muharram Ceremonymentioning

confidence: 99%

“Hosseiniyeh”; İran Geleneksel Kentlerinde Bir Ara Mekan

SOLEİMANİ

Golabi

2023

Kent Akademisi

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“…1) -along with the use of floats and emblems in processions, and sometimes dramatic enactment. Iran, the centre of Shi'te Islam, has, over the years, virtually professionalised the ta'ziyeh into a modern theatre, complete with troupes, demarcated space (akin to Western theatre halls), props, music and sound and light effects (Chelkowski, 1977).…”

Section: Theatre and Islammentioning

confidence: 99%

Not for ‘Respectable’ Women: Attitudes towards Theatre in Pakistan

2022

AHSS

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Theatre, and the performing arts in general, though popular in some circles, are virtually nogo areas for regular vocation not only for the religious-minded, but also for those looking to gain or maintain social credibility in the general public in Pakistan. Actors/ performers are routinely denigrated as bhand (jesters, buffoons) and tawaif (prostitutes). What explains these attitudes towards the performing arts? This paper traces the colonial origins and development of the tabooing of performing arts for women, as it simultaneously historicises (Muslim) attitudes towards theatre in the country. Our primary argument is that while different theatrical practices have existed across the Islamic world, orthodox opinions denouncing dramatic performance have generally prevailed when they have been consolidated by the social exigencies of virtue, propriety and decency within the larger matrix of the family, and the place/ space accorded to women in the family. Islam, in this sense, is not the primary determinant in perspectives on the dramatic arts, even though it infuses attitudes towards them with distaste. In this respect, we demonstrate that the historically material performer-prostitute conflation is deeply entangled with South Asian assumptions about theatre, and becomes self-perpetuating in the case of Pakistan.

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“…5 Finally, Mehdi Forough points to the aesthetic limitations of the Taziyeh as part of a national Iranian drive which has never attained sufficient independence from ritual to form a dramatic literature. But although it is Islamic in appearance, it is strongly Persian, drawing vital inspiration from its special political and cultural heritage.…”

Section: The Persian Passion Play Ormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each participates with and enriches the other. 5 Finally, Mehdi Forough points to the aesthetic limitations of the Taziyeh as part of a national Iranian drive which has never attained sufficient independence from ritual to form a dramatic literature. 6…”

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An Iranian Passion Play: ‘Taziyeh’ in History and Performance

Ale-Mohammed¹

2001

New Theatre Quarterly

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Theatre of a kind familiar to western audiences can be found in present-day Tehran – as Clive Barker's contribution to the ‘Reports and Announcements’ section later in this issue testifies. But Iran also has a traditional performing mode little known in the West – the Taziyeh, first performed in Britain at the Islamic Cultural Centre in London, and elsewhere, during April 2000. Taziyeh is a passion play, which like its medieval Christian antecedents remains inextricably linked with its religious purpose – the commemoration of the martyrdom of the third Imam of the Shi'ite Muslims, Ali Hussein, and his family in the desert of Kerbala. This relationship sustains a dramaturgy which diverges significantly from western forms, and seems at times almost contradictory – with actors who clearly know their parts by heart none the less required to read them from their scripts, to sustain both the immediacy and the spiritual truth of the performance. In this account of the origins, development, and present state of the Taziyeh, Reza Ale-Mohammed resolves such contradictions through an analysis of the play's distinctive quality, its performance, and its relationship with the audiences it reaches and the faith it expresses. Reza Ale-Mohammed recently completed his doctorate on the Taziyeh at the University of Warwick.

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Ta'ziyeh: Indigenous Avant-Garde Theatre of Iran

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

“Hosseiniyeh”; İran Geleneksel Kentlerinde Bir Ara Mekan

“Hosseiniyeh”; İran Geleneksel Kentlerinde Bir Ara Mekan

Not for ‘Respectable’ Women: Attitudes towards Theatre in Pakistan

An Iranian Passion Play: ‘Taziyeh’ in History and Performance

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