On September 16th 2022, 22 year old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini was killed at the hands of Iran’s ‘morality police’ for not adequately observing Iran’s religious dress code. Since then thousands of Iranians have turned out demanding freedom and choices for women as encapsulated by the phrase “zan, zendigi, azadi”, “woman life freedom”. The consequences for hundreds of brave protestors have been devastating but demonstrations continue with women and young people in particular pushing for a new, more progressive Iran.
This collective of critically acclaimed Iranian diaspora and Iranophile performers have come together and are performing tonight for free to raise funds for Free Them Now and in solidarity with the protesters.
The night features contributions from acclaimed theatre makers Lanna Joffrey, Peyvand Sadeghian and Sepy Baghaei, stunning visuals from Al Orange, comedy from surreal comic goddess Siân Docksey, music from Roshi and Kurdish-Iranian multi-instrumentalist Zanyar Hesami and a bit of disco from cult DJ Ritu.
Expect moving musical, film and spoken word reflections but also comedy, joy and dancing at this colourful event.
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
