Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role

Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role
front cover of the English edition (2010)
Written byBahram Beyzai
Characters
  • Mowhebat
  • Zolfaqar
  • Ms. Meshkin
  • Zarrin
  • Maher
  • Khadang
  • Davalpa
  • Belqeys
  • Majnun
  • Questioners, Landlords, Passers-by, Policemen, etc.
Date premiered2003 (2003)
Place premieredSanglaj Theatre, Tehran
Original languagePersian
SettingTehran during the 1979 revolution of Iran

Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role (Persian: خاطرات هنرپیشهٔ نقش دوم, romanized: khaterat-e honarpishe-ye naqsh-e dovvom) is a 1982 play by Bahram Beyzai.

Plot

The play recounts the urban adventures of two male villagers (named Mowhebat and Zolfaqar) in Tehran during the earlier stages of street demonstrations in the 1979 revolution. Driven by drought and indigence, the two arrive in the large city in the latter months of the shah's rule in order to seek employment. They end up as hirelings in large crowds of mercenary vagabonds demonstrating against revolutionaries. Each day they dress up as workers, party members, students, parents of demonstrating students protesting against their own rebellious children, etc. Their unwittingly reactionary occupation in troubled times adds up to catastrophic consequences.[1][2]

Text

The play was written in 1982 and first published in the spring of 1983 by Damavand Publishing House; which has been its only licensed publication in Persian.[3] In 2010 it was published in the United States in Mohammad Reza Ghanoonparvar's English translation.[4][5]

Performance

The play has never been directed and produced by the playwright. Yet, other notable performances include the 2003 autumn production in Tehran directed by Hadi Marzban with a cast of 42 and with Farzaneh Kaboli in one of the leading roles.[6]

In Other Languages

The play was translated into English by M.R. Ghanoonparvar and published in 2010 in the United States:[7]

References

  1. ^ Beyzai, Bahram. Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role: A Play. translated with an introduction and bibliography by M. R. Ghanoonparvar. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, Inc. 2010.
  2. ^ Ghanoonparvar, M. R. (2013). "Collective Identity and Despotism: Lessons in Two Plays by Bahram Beyzaie". Iranian Studies. 46 (5): 753–764. doi:10.1080/00210862.2013.789741. S2CID 145211419.
  3. ^ "خ‍اطرات‌ ه‍ن‍رپ‍ی‍ش‍ه‌ ن‍ق‍ش‌ دوم‌: ن‍م‍ای‍ش‍ن‍ام‍ه‌". Archived from the original on 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  4. ^ "Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role (2010 edition) | Open Library". Open Library.
  5. ^ Bayz̤Āʼī, Bahrām (2010). Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role: A Play. Mazda Publishers. ISBN 9781568592763.
  6. ^ "BBC Persian". www.bbc.com.
  7. ^ "Mazda Publishers - Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role:A Play".
  8. ^ Beyzai, Bahram (2010). Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role: A Play. Translated by Ghanoonparvar, M.R. Mazda Publishers. ISBN 9781568592763. LCCN 2010008042. Retrieved 28 January 2020.