Mohammad Yaghoubi

Born and raised in Iran, Mohammad Yaghoubi is an award-winning playwright, director, screenwriter, theatre instructor, and the co-artistic director of Toronto-based NOWADAYS THEATRE company.

His plays have been translated into six languages and produced in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Kurdistan, Russia, Sweden, The Czech Republic, Turkey, and the USA.

With over a decade of experience in theatre, Mohammad moved to Canada in 2015. After founding NOWADAYS THEATRE company in 2016, Mohammad Yaghoubi staged the English premiere of his play ‘A Moment of Silence’ at the 2016 SummerWorks Performance Festival. ‘A Moment of Silence’ has been anthologized as one of the new Iranian plays published by Aurora Metro (United Kingdom) in 2021.

In 2018, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, he wrote his first play in English ‘Persimmon’. Toronto Arts Council has also awarded him a grant in 2020 to write his second play in English titled ‘Earworm’.

Recent Credits: ‘Earworm’ (Crow’s Theatre, 2024), ‘Persimmon’ (360-degree video project), ‘Winter of 88’ (Next Stage Theatre Festival, 2020).

Selected Awards: The Promising Pen Prize from Cahoots Theatre for his play ‘Persimmon’, 2021; The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Play – Drought & Lies; First place winner of the Iranian Playwrights Society and third place winner of the New Play Contest in Toronto’s Fringe Festival – 2016 for Outstanding Writing – A Moment of Silence; The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Writing – Geraniums; The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Direction- Dance of Torn Papers and the Tehran Theatre Festival Award for Outstanding Writing and Directing – Winter of 88.

Resume

Full name: Mohammad Ali Yaghoubi Kiyase

Playwright, Co-Founder & Co-Artistic Director of Nowadays Theatre Company

SELECTED WRITING AND DIRECTING EXOERIENCE:
Feb 2024	Earworm (World premiere) Playwright &Director, with the generous support of the Toronto Council for the Art and Ontario Arts Council, at Crow’s Theatre, Toronto, Canada.
Aug 2022	Persimmon (360-degree videos) Playwright &Director, with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Art and Canadian Stage.
Jan 2022	Heart of a Dog (English Premiere) Playwright &Director, at Next Stage Theatre Festival, Ada Slaight Hall, Daniels Spectrum, Toronto, Canada.
July 2021	Dance of Torn Papers (Online presentation, 360 Degree Video) Playwright & Director, at Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto, Canada.
Jan 2020	Winter of 88 (English Premiere) Playwright &Director, at Next Stage Theatre Festival, Factory Theatre MainSpace, Toronto, Canada.
March 2019	The Only Possible Way (English Premiere) Playwright & Co-Director, at Studio 313, DanceMakers, Toronto
Nov 2018	Dance of Torn Papers (English Premiere) Playwright & Director. At Canadian Stage, Toronto, Canada.
Jun 2018	Angels In Iran Playwright & Director. At George Ignatieff Theatre, Toronto, Canada.
Aug 2017	The Monsters(Naghmeh Samini) Director. AtFairview Library Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sep 2016	The Pillowman(Martin McDonagh) Co-Directing with Aida Keykhaii. AtFairview Library Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada Also performed on 06 of October 2016, at the second international festival of Martin Mcdonagh, Theatre U Mosta, Perm, Russia. The Only Possible Way Playwright & Director. At BARAN theatre, Tehran, Iran
Aug 2016	A Moment of Silence Playwright & Director, on 6th to 14th of August, SummerWorks Performance Festival, Factory Theatre Mainspace, Toronto, ON.
Feb 2016	Proof (based on a play by DavidAuburn) Adapting & Directing. AtFairview Library Theatre, Toronto, ON
2015	A Moment of Silence Playwright, on 14th to 16th of June, Directed by Azadeh Mohammadi, Prague, The Czech Republic. Drought & Lies Playwright &, Director.On February the 28^th in Montreal, On March the 8^th in Vancouver, On March 13^th in Toronto, Canada.
2014	The Heart of a Dog, (based on a novel by Michael Bulgakov) Adapting & Directing, at IRANSHAHR Theatre, Tehran, Iran
2011	Winter 1988 (remount) Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
2010	Writing in the Dark Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
2009	Drought & Lies Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
2008	Machismo (based on the novel The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene) Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
2004	Geraniums Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
2001	A Moment of Silence Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
1999	‘Till Tomorrow(Rima Raminfar) Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran Dance of the Torn Papers Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
1998	Winter 1988 Playwright & Director. At Theatre Shahr, Tehran, Iran
HONOURS AND AWARDS
2020	The Promising Pen Prize (Cahoots Theatre) for writing his play ‘Persimmon’
2019	Received grant by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council to direct English premier of his play ‘The Only Possible Way’ with Iranian newcomers and refugees).
2018	Awarded grant by Toronto Arts Council to direct English premier of his play “The Only Possible Way” with Iranian newcomers and refugees.
2018	Awarded grant by Toronto Arts Council to direct English premier of his play “The Only Possible Way” with Iranian newcomers and refugees.
2018	Awarded grant by Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council to direct English premier of his play “Dance of Torn Papers”.
2018	Awarded grant by The Canada Council for the Arts to write his first play in English “Persimmon”.
2016	The laureate diploma for the most original vision of the play “The Pillowman” at the Second International Festival of Martin McDonagh, Perm, Russia.
2016	Awarded grant by Toronto Arts Council to direct English premier of his play “A Moment of Silence” at SummerWorks Performance Festival.
2015	Third place winner of the New Play Contest in Toronto Fringe Festival for Outstanding Play, A Moment of Silence
2014	The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Play, Drought & Lies
2012	Iranian Playwrights Society Award at the Iran Theatre Forum, for Outstanding Writing, A Moment of Silence
2004	The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Writing, Geraniums
2002	The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Direction, A Moment of Silence
2001	The 19th Fadjr International Theatre Festival of Iran Award for Outstanding Direction, A Moment of Silence
2000	The 18th Fadjr InternationalTheatre Festival of Iran Award for Outstanding Direction, Till Tomorrow
1999	-The National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Direction, Dance of Torn Papers –The 17th Fadjr International Theatre Festival of Iran Awards for Outstanding Writing and Direction, Dance of Torn Papers
1998	The 16th Fadjr International Theatre Festival of Iran Awards for Outstanding Writing and Direction, Winter 88.
TRANSLATED PLAYS
A Moment of Silence (into English, French, Turkish and Kurdish)
Drought & Lies (into German, Kurdish and Turkish)
Moon in the Water (into English, French, Turkish, Kurdish)
Red and the Others (into German and Kurdish)
The Only Possible Way (into English and Kurdish)
SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2022	Online Writing workshop for Film and Theatre, NOWADAYS THEATRE; Online Acting workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 6 months), NOWADAYS THEATRE;
2021	Online Acting workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 6 months), NOWADAYS THEATRE; Online Writing workshop for Film and Theatre, NOWADAYS THEATRE; Online Play-reading workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 6 months), NOWADAYS THEATRE
2020	Online Acting workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 6 months), NOWADAYS THEATRE; Online Writing workshop for Film and Theatre, NOWADAYS THEATRE; Online Play-reading workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 3 months), NOWADAYS THEATRE
Aug 2019	Acting & directing workshop (with Aida keykhaii for 3 months), At OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto)
March 2019	Acting & directing workshopActing & directing workshop (for 4 months), resulted in a theatre project in English with Iranian newcomers named “The Only Possible Way” for three days at Canadian Stage, Upstairs Theatre, Toronto, in March 29-31, 2019.
Nov 2018	Acting & directing workshop (with Aida Keykhaii for 4 months), resulted in a theatre project on stage named “Dance of Torn Papers” for three days at Studio 313, DanceMakers, Toronto, November 2-4, 2018.
Oct 2017	Acting & directing workshop (for 4 months), resulted in a theatre project on stage named “Angels in Iran” for two days at George Ignatief Theatre, Toronto in June 2018.
Sep 2016	Acting workshop (for 10 days), Dallas, United States, resulted in a staged reading entitled “The Only One Possible Way”
March 2016	Playwriting at New wave Artistic company, Future School, Toronto
2014	Acting & directing workshop (for three months) At OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto) resulted in a Staged reading a play by Mohammad Yaghoubi entitled “The Only One Possible Way”

Interviews with Mohammad Yaghoubi