Among the cultural events commemorating Muslim leader Imam Ali this year was a brief theater festival in late October and early November 2000 of ten new works. The Fatemeh Zahra Company, an enterprising young women's theater group from Tehran's neighbor city Karaj, offered an allegorical portrait of the Shia religious figure. Narges Zareii cleverly incorporated images from Ali's writings into a piece about an acting troupe searching for a good subject for women. When someone brought on a small mirror, an animated discussion ensued about how a pure person reflects God's perfection to others. The mirror then revealed other stories involving kindness to others less fortunate and heavenly pomegranates to cure a sick person. In a final tableau the mirror, was held aloft, Statue of Liberty style, to represent Ali's love of freedom and hatred toward oppressors. All these references would have been familiar to the audience.
Director Mahtab Amiri supplied several excellent choreographed sequences incorporating music and poetry, but stock gestures during the spoken sections detracted from the overall good impression. Still, encountering such a well-rehearsed production is always a pleasure. The women in white fringed tops and loose pants showed great professionalism.
