Scarlet Stone is a new multidisciplinary and collaborative dance/theatre/music/animation work by Shahrokh Yadegari, in collaboration with Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam, featuring performances by Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam, Afshin Mofid, Ida Saki, Mariam Peretz, and Gordafarid. Scarlet Stone is based on the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi and the last work of Siavash Kasrai, Mohreh Sorkh (Scarlet Stone). It uses the modern rendition of the ancient Persian mythology by Ferdowsi and Kasrai to portray the current struggle of the people of Iran, especially those of the youth and women, in their brave quest for freedom and democracy.
Performance will be in Persian with English supertitles.
Scarlet Stone has been in production since the 2009 uprising in Iran and has been generously funded by prestigious grants such as the the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of California Research in the Arts Institute Production Grant, UCSD Arts and Humanities Innovation Fund, and by a grant from Chehre-Azad Endowment Funds at UC San Diego.
Performance will be in Persian with English supertitles.
The storyline of this production is based on the story of Rostam and Sohrab, one of the most famous mythological stories of Shahnameh by Ferdowsi (935-1020 AD), and the last work of Siavash Kasrai, Mohreye Sorkh. Ferdowsi is one of the most important poets of Iran. He spent 30 years collecting the Persian ancient mythology and historical facts, and putting them in poetry form in Persian language in his book Shahnameh (The book of Kings). Ferdowsi completed Shahnameh at a time that the Persian language was close to extinction due to the occupation of Iran by the Arabs and subsequent banning of the use of Persian language in Persia for over two centuries. By writing the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi not only preserved the ancient Persian mythology and historical facts, but also revived the Persian language and saved it from extinction.
In the mythological story, Sohrab is the love child of Rostam (the immortal hero of Iran) and Tahmineh (the princess of a neighboring country) who actively and proudly pursued Rostam, and believed that their union and offspring (Sohrab) would bring peace and prosperity to the region. The story ends with the tragic slaying of Sohrab by Rostam in a battle (without either knowing their relation to each other). Based on Shahnameh, the poem Mohreye Sorkh by Siavash Kasrai, is set at the last moment of Sohrab’s life, after having been injured by Rostam.
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, (Sohrab)
graduated from the University of Paris VIII with a degree in the History of Art and Theatre. He specializes in Middle Eastern folklore and mystical dance and has a deep interest in Indian, Indonesian and Flamenco dances. [ … more]
Gordafarid, (Story Teller, Ferdowsi)
The first female naqqal (storyteller) of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, “Book of Kings”, Gordafarid, has excelled in performing traditional narration of epic stories (naqqali) through thirteen years of research, [ … more]
Afshin Mofid, (Rostam)
born in Tehran, Iran in an artistic family. His parents Bijan Mofid and Farideh Farjam were both well known for their works in theater, music, and literature in Iran. His paternal grandfather Gholamhossein Mofid was famous for playing the role of Rostam, [ …more]
Ida Saki, (Gordafarid)
Miriam Peretz, (Tahmineh)
is an internationally acclaimed performing artist and dance instructor specializing in dances of the Silk Road (Persian and Central Asian dance), as well as ethno-Contemporary dance. [ … more]
Shahrokh Yadegarihas collaborated with such artists as Peter Sellars, Robert Woodruff, Ann Hamilton, Christine Brewer, Gabor Tompa, Maya Beiser, Steven Schick, and [ … more]
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalamgraduated from the University of Paris VIII with a degree in the History of Art and Theatre. He specializes in Middle Eastern folklore and mystical dance and has a deep interest in Indian, Indonesian and Flamenco dances. [ … more]
Ian WallaceInternational: Siavash (Toronto), Ruins True (Romania, Budapest, Avignon); Death of a Salesman (Romania); Drums on the Dam (London). Regional: El Henry, Our Town, Recipe for Disaster, Frida Libre (La Jolla Playhouse); … [more]
Wen-Ling LiaoSelected credits: Sense and Sensibility (Dallas Theater Center); Grounded (Nora Theater Company); La Traviata(Long Island Opera); A Nice Indian Boy (East West Players); …. [more]
Gordafarid,
(Co-Adaptation of Naqqali and Shahnameh)
The first female naqqal (storyteller) of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, “Book of Kings”, Gordafarid, has excelled in performing traditional narration of epic stories (naqqali) [ … more]
Zack Kennedy
(Stage Management)
Credits: TheatreWorks Singapore: Lear Dreaming (presented in Paris, France), Continuum: Beyond the Killing Fields (presented in Shizuoka, Japan). Spoleto Festival USA & Singapore International Festival of Arts: Facing Goya.[ … more]
Jim Carmodyspecializes in theatre and dance photography. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Paris before coming to the United States to study at Stanford. [ … more]
Sia Nemat-Nasser
(English Renditions)
is a Distinguished Professor of Mechanics and Materials at the University of California, San Diego, and Director of UCSD’s Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials. [ … more]
Shahrokh Yadegari,has collaborated with such artists as Peter Sellars, Robert Woodruff, Ann Hamilton, Christine Brewer, Gabor Tompa, Maya Beiser, Steven Schick, Hossein Omoumi, and Siamak Shajarian … [more]
Keyavash Nourai, (Violin, Cello)
was born in Tehran, Iran where he began his serious pursuit of a musical career at the age of 10. He studied the violin and kamanche with the acclaimed Kamran Daroughe until he moved to United States in 1977. [ … more]
Kourosh Moradi,
(Tanbur, Daf)
Born in Guran, Kermanshah, Iran, Kourosh Moradi began studying tanbur at the early age of three with his father, legendary tanbur master, Ali Akbar Moradi. He also studied daf with the masters of the Yarsan Order and tombak with Ostad Hamid Moghadam. [ … more]
Khosrow Soltani, (Balaban, Sorna)
He is a master of Persian as well as western wind instruments. He has studied bassoon at the Academy of Music in Vienna, Austria, and has performed with the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra. [ … more]
Azam Ali,
(Vocals)
In a career which spans over a decade and includes eight collaborative albums and solo albums, Azam Ali has confirmed her place as one of the most prolific, versatile, and gifted singers on the world music stage today [ … more]
Mammad Zadeh,
(Tombak, Daf, Dayereh, Percussion)
is a Persian musician, composer, record producer, and technologist. He was a founding member and producer of the ground breaking group Axiom of Choice …. [more]
