Iran’s Gharibpour to stage ‘Ashura’ puppet opera in Tehran

Iranian playwright and stage director Behrouz Gharibpour is planning to perform his Ashura puppet opera at Ferdowsi Hall in Tehran next month.

Accompanied by Aran troupe, Gharibpour will present his religious puppet opera with nearly 72 puppets play in 72 minutes.

The opera, which is centered on a religious tragedy, depicts the incidents leading to the martyrdom of the third Shia Imam and his 72 followers on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram.

Gharibpour’s Ashura has been staged in many international theater festivals in Spain, Algeria, Syria, Poland and Italy.

The play was warmly received at the Charleville-Mezieres’s International Puppet Theatre Festival in France, 2011, when it was given two extra performances.

Gharibpour’s Hafez opera puppet show is also slated to go on stage in Dubai during three-day program from November 18 through 20.

The opera has been adapted from the life and works of the Persian lyric poet Hafez Shirazi.

Behrouz Gharibpour is considered one of the pioneers of traditional Persian puppet theatre, known for his extensive research on Qajar puppetry.

He has received many international awards such as The Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002 and Sierna d’Oro (Arrivano dal mare) in 2008.

Macbeth, Mowlavi, Ashura and Rostam and Sohrab are among his better-known works.