Iran’s ‘Macbeth Zar’ to tour St. Petersburg
Iranian theatrical production ‘Macbeth Zar,’ will grace the stage at the 18th Saint Petersburg Theater Festival, slated to be held from May 23 to June 2.
Ebrahim Posht Koohi, the playwright and director, has crafted an exquisite adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ blending it with Iran’s southern Zar ritual. The play was selected as the piece to close the Russian festival by the Russian Association of Theater Critics, according to ISNA.
Along with ‘Macbeth Zar,’ other works from France, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Japan, Russia, and Georgia are scheduled to be performed.
The Saint Petersburg Theater Festival has been a yearly occurrence since 2000 and is known for hosting fresh and original productions.
The play’s concept is rooted in Zar, a religious rite that involves an individual, usually female, being possessed by a spirit. Zar is the term used to refer to a type of spirit, the malady they inflict when they descend upon a person, and the ceremony required to soothe the spirits and alleviate the patient’s symptoms. The ceremony includes burning incense, playing music, and performing movement to appease the Zar, which will help relieve the afflicted person.
The ‘Macbeth Zar’ play has previously won awards at the Moscow Nights Festival and Munich Theater Festival. Additionally, it has been staged at the Avignon Festival, GITIS International Institute of Russia, and other festivals in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and India.