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Athol Fugard discussion / The Island in Iran
« Last post by Iain Fisher on September 12, 2026, 12:41:59 PM »Tehran’s City Theater present Athol Fugard's The Island from 16 September 2026.
Iranian actor and theater director Akbar Zanjanpour will stage the play and act alongside Saeed Dakh. The play has been translated by Mohammad Hefazi.
"The apartheid-era drama, inspired by a true story, is set in an unnamed prison clearly based on South Africa's notorious Robben Island prison, where Nelson Mandela was held for twenty-seven years. The Island focuses on two cellmates, one whose successful appeal means that his release draws near and one who must remain in prison for many years to come. They spend their days performing futile physical labor and nights rehearsing in their cell for a performance of Sophocles' “Antigone” in front of the other prisoners. One takes the part of Antigone, who defies the laws of the state to bury her brother, and the other takes the part of her uncle Creon, who sentences her to die for her crime of conscience.
The play draws parallels between Antigone's situation and the situation of black political prisoners. Tensions arise as the performance approaches, especially when one of the prisoners learns that he has won an early release and the men's friendship is tested".
The information comes from the Tehran Times, 11 September 2026, click here
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529891/Akbar-Zanjanpour-to-stage-Athol-Fugard-s-The-Island-at-Tehran-s
For the theatre website click here
https://teatreshahr.com/en/
For more on The Island click here
https://iainfisher.com/fugard/athol-fugard-statements.html
Iranian actor and theater director Akbar Zanjanpour will stage the play and act alongside Saeed Dakh. The play has been translated by Mohammad Hefazi.
"The apartheid-era drama, inspired by a true story, is set in an unnamed prison clearly based on South Africa's notorious Robben Island prison, where Nelson Mandela was held for twenty-seven years. The Island focuses on two cellmates, one whose successful appeal means that his release draws near and one who must remain in prison for many years to come. They spend their days performing futile physical labor and nights rehearsing in their cell for a performance of Sophocles' “Antigone” in front of the other prisoners. One takes the part of Antigone, who defies the laws of the state to bury her brother, and the other takes the part of her uncle Creon, who sentences her to die for her crime of conscience.
The play draws parallels between Antigone's situation and the situation of black political prisoners. Tensions arise as the performance approaches, especially when one of the prisoners learns that he has won an early release and the men's friendship is tested".
The information comes from the Tehran Times, 11 September 2026, click here
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529891/Akbar-Zanjanpour-to-stage-Athol-Fugard-s-The-Island-at-Tehran-s
For the theatre website click here
https://teatreshahr.com/en/
For more on The Island click here
https://iainfisher.com/fugard/athol-fugard-statements.html
