Iranian Passion Play- Actors Responsibilities

What are the responsibilities of an actor in a Taziyeh?  How do the traditions and purposes of this dramatic form limit the actor's freedom to interpret his role in a unique & individual manner?

There are no actual "actors" in the traditional sense in a Taziyeh.  There are only men who "represent" their character.  There are no "lines", rather the participants "recite" the verses written in their scripts, which they carry with them throughout the presentation and read aloud from.  They must read from this script to maintain immediacy and spiritual truth and there is no deviation or interpretation of the lines or the role.  The actor's do not "get into" the role so there is never a concern about "falling out of character". The performers must always maintain distance from their characters- they are not actors so much as narrators.

There is a main narrator who is allowed to move the action along, or stop it altogether and offer clarification or perhaps a prayer- this is the Ostad.  The Ostad also gives an overview of the performance as a prelude.  The overview is not really neccessary since everyone already knows the story and there is no deviation from it.

There is no characater development and none is expected- all know who is "good" and who is "evil", the participants might even announce their characters "character".   Likewise, nothing new should be introduced into the play- the audience must never be surprised, alarmed or repelled.  There are elements of story-telling in the plays, the participants might stomp their feet or clap to emphasize a certain point.

The actor does have the freedom to move around- he (always a "he") can walk around, move to a new location, even climb onto a roof if that seems appropriate.  They can portray darkness or light by pantomiming groping in the dark or squinting into the sunlight.  They can also talk freely to the audience in their "true form" since they are never "in character" to begin with!

The Iranian Passion Play does appear to be full of passion, and it certainly entertains its audience but it is a watered down version of a "play" since the actors have limited ability- or even desire- to develop their characters or to change their performances in any way. However, this is what is expected and this is what the audience comes to see so it would be unfair to judge this performance by the norms of typical Western performances.  If the audience is happy, these plays are obviously successful in achieving their goal.

Angela Thurman

http://youtu.be/8aKAPL9Fkz4  Check out this You Tube video of a Taziyeh!