TEHRAN-Neauphle-le-Chateau Theater in Tehran is hosting the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” written by Tom Stoppard.

Elham Sehat has directed the 75-minute play that has Arash Dadgar, Ali Amir Khalili, Tiam Mousavi, Sepehr Shabani, Masoumeh Tahmasbi, Hadiseh Biabani, and Saghar Yaghoubpur in the cast among others.

Written in 1966, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” was Stoppard's first major play to gain recognition. An absurdist, existential tragicomedy, it expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the main setting is Denmark.

The action of Stoppard's play takes place mainly in the wings of Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” with brief appearances of major characters from “Hamlet” who enact fragments of the original's scenes. Between these episodes, the two protagonists voice their confusion at the progress of events occurring onstage without them in “Hamlet,” of which they have no direct knowledge.

Comparisons have also been drawn with Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot,” for the presence of two central characters who almost appear to be two halves of a single character. Many plot features are similar as well: the characters pass time by playing questions, impersonating other characters, interrupting each other, or remaining silent for long periods.

The players help demonstrate the conflict between art and reality. The world in which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern live lacks order, but art allows people to create artificial order. As the Player says, "There's a design at work in all art." Art and the real world are in conflict.

The play was adapted for a film released in February 1990, with screenplay and direction by Stoppard. The motion picture is Stoppard's only film directing credit. The cast included Gary Oldman as Rosencrantz, Tim Roth as Guildenstern, Richard Dreyfuss as the Player, Joanna Roth as Ophelia, Ian Richardson as Polonius, Joanna Miles as Gertrude, Donald Sumpter as Claudius, and Iain Glen as Hamlet.

Tom Stoppard, 86, is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and political freedom, often delving into the deeper philosophical thematic of society. He is one of the most internationally performed dramatists of his generation.

He has received numerous awards and honors such as an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and five Tony Awards, including one for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” will remain on stage until July 12 at the Neauphle-le-Chateau Theater located at No. 18, Neauphle-le-Chateau St., junction of Razi St.

SS/SAB