The supervisor of a primary school calls on her ex-husband, a painter longing for recognition, to renovate the school's façade. His mission is to cover the revolutionary slogans written on the walls of the playground with a large fresco. The task is daunting and he is lacking in motivation, until he meets a young mother who has come to wait for her child. Every day, she arrives early, seemingly to escape the boredom and anxiety caused by her social isolation. They strike up a conversation, and the particular rhythm of summer creates a unique atmosphere. This is where Summerless finds its theme: the collapse, of the walls, of education, of desire... Although familiar with documentary theatre, which he studied in Manchester, director Amir Reza Koohestani never speaks of politics directly in his work. His plays use the metaphoric approach dear to Persian poetry to evoke a system bent on controlling the private lives of the anonymous individuals it oppresses...
Amir Reza Koohestani
Born in Shiraz, the capital of the Fars Province in Southwest Iran, Amir Reza Koohestani lives and works in Tehran. His early passion for cinema and writing (articles, short stories, screenplays), led to his directing his first play at age 21, though he was denied authorisation to perform by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. Since then, he has refined his style in successive creations, a poetical and critical renewal which breaks away from the naturalism of traditional Iranian theatre. Amir Reza Koohestani directed Hearing for the 70th edition of the Festival d'Avignon.
Distribution
With Mona Ahmadi, Saeid Changizian et Leyli Rashidi
Text and direction Amir Reza Koohestani
Stage design Shahryar Hatami
Video Davoud Sadri et Ali Shirkhodaei
Sound Ankido Darash
Costumes Shima Mirhamidi
Assistant direction Mohammad Reza Hosseinzadeh, Mohammad Khaksari
Production
Production Mehr Theatre Group
Coproduction Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Festival d'Avignon, Festival delle Colline Torinesi / Fondazione TPE, La Bâtie Festival de Genève, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main, Théâtre national de Bretagne, Münchner Kammerspiele, La Filature Scène nationale de Mulhouse, Théâtre populaire romand
With the support of l'Onda et pour la 72e édition du Festival d'Avignon : Adami
Co-accueil Festival d'Avignon, La Chartreuse-CNES de Villeneuve lez Avignon
In Partnership with France Médias Monde