The Only Possible Way (2019)
Description
About The Only Possible Way
The development of the English premiere of a meta-theatrical piece by award-winning playwright and director Mohammad Yaghoubi.
“The Only Possible Way” is a recognized episodic meta-theatrical play. It is an empiricist and multifaceted piece that defies the conventional structure of a linear plot, holding recurring themes and subjects such as change, insecurity, violence, betrayal, responsibility, and sacrifice.
NOWADAYS THEATRE Company with the support of Toronto Arts Council presented the English premiere of “The Only Possible Way” with Iranian newcomers and refugees. “The Only Possible Way” was presented as part of Canadian Stage‘s 18.19 RBC Emerging Company Program. The show opened on Friday, March 29 and closed on Sunday, March 31.
Written and directed by: Mohammad Yaghoubi
Translated by: Nazanin Malekan and Mohammad Yaghoubi
Dramaturged by: Natasha Greenblatt
Featuring: Aida Keykhaii, Ali Alavi, Amir Zavosh, Armon Ghaeinizadeh, Banafsheh Taherian, Faraz Farsijani, Farid Hosseini, Mahsa Ershadifar, Nima Molajafar, Parsa Hassanzadeh, Raika pajhooh, Sanaz Vahdat, Yasser Qorashi.
Musicians: Kourosh Babaei and Padideh ANejad.
Stage Manager: Laura Lakatosh
Assistant Director: : Mahsa Ershadifar
Teaser and Photo by: Ali Mostolizadeh
Poster by: Saman Farzaneh
Reviews
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Poster
Stunning Performance by actors whose first language is no English, Smooth and simple play and brilliant technique of story telling.
Totally connected to story despite the geographical difference and unfamiliar cultural patterns to Canadians. Smart directions by M Yaghoubi using bilingual actors in their place, sometimes you hear and understand the non english part over its translation. Thanks Nowadays Theater for this awesome job.
It was an interesting experience working in this group. I faced some great challenges, as it was my first performance in English, which helped me to learn new things about myself and about working as a member of a group.
Cheers
“The Only Possible Way” produced by Nowadays Theatre at CanStage was truly impressive. The thirteen actors, Iranian newcomers and refugees, including Aida Keykhaii, the co-director of the company, were compelling through their inner truth and versatility, while performing a large number of characters. The musicians helped the audience connect to the culture through their Iranian string instruments. Mohammad Yaghoubi ‘s directing was powerful and yet subtle through visual symbolism and touches of irony. He is also the author of the play that uses a very ingenious framing device: it consists of eight short excerpts from the unfinished plays of a subversive Iranian playwright, perhaps fictional, perhaps real, who was forced to live in exile and whose works were never produced. Growing up in Romanian communist dictatorship it was easy for me to relate to the oppression indicted in the show, while learning more about how the lack of freedom are experienced by women and artists in contemporary Iran. Yes, truth and courage are the only possible ways. Congrats to everybody!
Diana Manole, PhD
Lecturer, Trent University
Writer, Translator, Dramaturge
Im grateful for the opportunity to work with Nowadays theater company more than once and every time it was a new interesting, challenging and rewarding experience.
The beginning of the play The Only Possible Way set up the audiences’ expectation for a typical Iranian exile artist, a figure largely created by the Eurocentric gaze, only to subvert this expectation immediately with a series of fragmented ridiculous works that have seemingly little aesthetic value. Saturated with rude language, violence, pain and arbitrariness of judgement, the terrible condition the characters lived in contrasted with their readily acceptance of reality as something normal and unchangeable, resulting in absurdist humour. Yet, against the terror that transpires through the play, the characters were still grounded in reality and wrestling to control their lives, which made their resilience, love and good humour more touching. Although a play about a fictious playwright, the story was not lost in philosophical or aesthetic discourses, but fully grounded in small people’s lives. It was that realness that I find most invaluable.
The English translation revealed the tension between the content of speech and the English language. The uncomfortable gap does not result from inadequate translation, but from the fact that the characters are speaking a language that does not have words for their experience. The resulted defamiliarization effect enabled me to reflect upon the limitation of the verbal communication of trauma and unjust, and think about what really is the difficulty the characters suffer from with more objectivity.
The acting was also so good and I was able to dive into the world on the stage easily. I really gained courage and consolation from the play. I could not remember if I have ever seen on stage stories and problems that are so personally relevant to me, that I see myself and my family fleshed out in the characters more sharply than standing in front of a mirror. I want to thank NOWADAYS THEATRE for bringing the English version of this fantastic play to Toronto. It is certainly an impactful piece among refugees and immigrants, and beyond.
It’s been months since we were on stage and I still carry a piece of each character with me wherever I go. one of the greatest learning opportunities I had and I’m so very grateful for the trust.
ecstatic that the play was so well received.