Iranian stage production claims four prizes at Oman festival
Iran's stage production ‘Today, I Will Become a Tree’, directed by aramarz Gholamian, swept four awards at the Al-Den International Theater Festival in Muscat, securing top slots for directing, music, acting and stage design.
The festival, held in the Omani capital earlier late November, handed Gholamian the prize for best directing after jurors praised what they called his “precise” handling of a narrative built around identity and loss, ISNA reported.
He also walked away with the festival’s music award, credited for weaving a sparse score into the performance’s tightly-drawn scenes.
Saghar Tizrou was named best actor, with judges citing the “charged stillness” she brought to the central role.
Ali Faridani took the stage-design award for what organizers described as an inventive mix of props, hand-built structures and puppetry that framed the production’s shifting moods.
The production, led by Tehran-based producer Mohammad Dindashti, had travelled to Muscat after a short domestic run. Iranian theater groups have in recent years pushed to expand their presence across Gulf festivals, which have become a prominent showcase for regional works as cultural budgets in some Arab states rise into double-digit growth.
Festival officials did not release audience figures, though Muscat’s annual theater gatherings typically draw troupes from across the Persian Gulf, North Africa and parts of Europe. Participation offers smaller companies a chance to tap into regional circuits, often securing invitations to winter seasons in Kuwait, Doha or Abu Dhabi.
Gholamian’s team said the four wins would help the production secure fresh bookings. “It gives us room to negotiate,” one crew member said after the awards night, noting that international exposure can lift revenues by 20% if a play is picked up for touring.
The troupe is expected to return to Iran later this month to begin preparations for a possible spring rerun in Tehran’s mid-town playhouses, which have recently seen a modest rebound in ticket sales after two difficult seasons.