2022
Persimmon
I have known Mohammad as an extraordinary playwright, director and dramaturg for many years. As a remarkable theatre artist he has contributed significantly to the Iranian performing arts industry over the past two decades. He has recently made Canada his new home and is working his way from a scratch to gain his place in this theatre community.
From the moment I had the good fortune to read Mohammad Yaghoubi’s poetically elegiac and moving play A Moment of Silence, I hoped to see it produced here in Toronto. A timely and timeless piece of theatre
Never stodgy, Yaghoubi’s work is laced with humour, while maintaining the serious point of view of people living in a dangerous political environment. When I read A Moment of Silence I immediately thought of it being produced in English and introduced to a Canadian audience, who might have the tendency to take democratic freedoms for granted.
(A Moment of Silence)… offering from a veteran artist throws into sharp relief the importance of hearing the storied poets whose years defy the wisdom in their works. This approach to unfathomable change within a lifetime encapsulates the way art can span revolutions and make sense of things we have experienced yet cannot articulate for the sake of beholding with objective clarity before us. A highly acclaimed play making its debut in Canada, bringing bold perspective to our all too apathetic political spheres
An unexpected contemporary play from a culture we do not meet every day, A Moment of Silence by the foremost Iranian playwright Mohammad Yaghoubi, charts the recent history of the country of which we hear plenty on the news but about which we do not know that much. There are elements of Pirandello in the play…
Hailed by many as one of the best Iranian plays written after the 1979 revolution, A Moment of Silence investigates the impact of the revolution through the imagination of a writer who falls victim to the Chain Murders of intellectuals and artists in the 1990s. Widely acknowledged for his layered and imaginative approach to realism, Yaghoubi is an outspoken artist who continues to challenge the governmental systems of control.
I saw the play (Angles in Iran) last Friday night and I was mesmerized by the very unique script, creative directorial work, and dedication of the actors. It was indeed a great pleasure to watch something that was not dull and repetitious while conveying an important message. Thanks to Mohammad Yaghoubi for being such, ingenious visionary artist.