Iran’s ‘Macbeth Zar’ to be staged in Germany
Iranian theatrical production ‘Macbeth Zar,’ will be staged at the 34th German Shakespeare Festival on May 9.
Ebrahim Poshtkoohi, the playwright and director, has crafted an exquisite adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ blending it with Iran’s southern Zar ritual, ISNA wrote.
The 17-day festival will host 24 adaptations and plays on Shakespeare’s works and Poshtkoohi’s work will be the only work from Asia.
The festival will annually host 15,000 audiences.
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 ease 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.