Play shows war wounds for women never heal 

November 9, 2022 - 18:41

TEHRAN – A play on stage at a Tehran theater focuses on the idea that wars never end for women and they may never get rid of war wounds.

Director Mohammad-Mehdi Khatami is staging “Sharareh” at the Sayeh Hall of the City Theater Complex based on a script he wrote in 2014.

The play follows Sharareh, an Iranian woman whose fiancé is killed on the frontline during the early days of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. The repercussions of the tragic loss overshadow all of her life.    

“This play puts its spotlight on the mental disorders war inflicts upon the widows of martyrs, the prejudice against them and decisions made about them,” Khatami told the Persian service of MNA on Wednesday.

“In other words, the play tells the story of the women for whom wars will never end. This is not limited only to our country, we see it in other countries, too; as nearly four decades have passed since the end of the war, but the women still suffer from war wounds,” he added.

Khatami said that the impact of wars should be studied in cities and those people who are living behind the frontlines.

“Wars highly affect human relations and their consequences place more distress in the lives of those who are not directly involved,” he noted, and added that his play illustrates the lives of such people.

“By this play, I have also tried to portray women as loyal and kind companions who remain faithful to their love and never give up,” he said.

Khatami also plays a role in the play. The cast also comprises Nasrin Nakisa, Toktam Akhjavani, Amina Khatami, Marjan Alavi, Mojtaba Radfar, Parviz Gohari-Rad, Amir-Ehsan Amirpur, Gholamreza Arefnejad and Hamed Vakili.

The troupe will give its final performance Friday evening.

Earlier in 2018, Khatami staged “Bloody Tuesday” at Sayeh Hall about the members of an Iranian family whose relations are damaged in the wake of the economic recession in the country.

Photo: Members of director Mohammad-Mehdi Khatami’s troupe perform “Sharareh” at Tehran’s Sayeh Hall on November 4, 2022. (Honaronline/Zeinab Mahdavi)

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