A Moment of Silence is an award-winning play by celebrated Iranian playwright and director Mohammad Yaghoubi. Surreal, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous, the play offers a deeply human meditation on Iran’s turbulent modern history. Presented with significant support from the new Princeton Humanities Initiative.
Shiva, the protagonist, wakes up to find she has been asleep for three years—only to realize she has missed the Islamic Revolution. Over the next decade, she continues to slip in and out of sleep, awakening each time to a drastically altered world: the war with Iraq, the murders of dissident artists, and upheavals within her own family. Layered with absurdity and poignancy, the play also follows the increasingly perilous journey of the playwright shaping Shiva’s story, as anonymous threats begin to blur the boundary between art and reality.
A Moment of Silence, translated into English by Yaghoubi and Torange Yeghiazarian, is highly acclaimed in Iran and internationally, having also been translated into French, Czech, Turkish and Kurdish. It has been hailed as the best play to emerge from Iran since the 1979 Revolution and widely acclaimed for the playwright’s layered and imaginative approach to realism. The play has been recognized by the New Play Contest of the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Playwrights’ Society of Iran Award for Outstanding Play, the Iranian National Theatre Critics Society Award for Outstanding Direction, and the International Theatre Festival of Iran Award for Outstanding Direction.
Presented internationally and in other parts of the U.S., the Princeton production is the first in this region of the country.
Photo Highlights
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Photo by Larry Levanti
Directed by Nikoo Mamdoohi, an Iranian theater director based in Washington, DC; with dramaturgy by Q-mars Haeri, postdoctoral research associate in Princeton’s Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies; and Iranian designers Omid Akbari (set) and Afsaneh Aayani (costumes).
This production was conceived through a new collaboration between the Theater Program’s “Rehearsal and Performance” course and English Professor Tamsen Wolff’s “Global Plays and Politics” course, supported by the University’s 250th Fund for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. Also supported by Princeton’s Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) and Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies.
Related Media
Read the press release from the Lewis Center for the Arts
Read a feature story on JerseyArts.com
Additional Programming
A range of enriching programming around A Moment of Silence is planned:
Oct. 27 at 12:30 PM: Lunch Discussion with Imam Khalil Abdullah
Murray-Dodge Hall, Room 210
Free & open to Princeton students
A conversation on A Moment of Silence, the need for rest during difficult times, the experience of being both Muslim and an artist, and working towards a performing arts community on campus that is more inclusive of Muslim students. The conversation will feature Imam Khalil (Assistant Dean for Muslim Life) and Jane Cox (Director of the Program in Theater & Music Theater), alongside director Nikoo Mamdoohi, dramaturg Q-Mars Haeri, and a cast member of A Moment of Silence. Lunch provided. Space is limited, registration required here.
Register for the Lunch Discussion
Nov. 1: Post-show Gathering
Berlind Rehearsal Room, McCarter Theatre Center (off the Berlind lower lobby)
Free & open to public
Following the 8 p.m. performance, join a gathering with the celebrated playwright of A Moment of Silence, Mohammad Yaghoubi, who will join via Zoom. Refreshments provided by local Persian bakery Bita Sweets.
Nov 6 at 5-7:30 PM: Translation Workshop with Torange Yeghiazarian
East Pyne 235
Free & open to public
It has been said that translation utilizes an encyclopedia, not a dictionary. This applies even more to translating plays that are written to be performed live on stage. Translating plays is like building a bridge from one culture, one set of social conventions, one collection of historical and literary contexts, to another. In this workshop, designed for theater practitioners, translators, and anyone interested in cross-cultural understanding, we will review elements of translation in general, and explore unique challenges encountered when translating plays. Centering our work on three specific texts, participants will read and discuss the following plays in English and Persian: A Moment of Silence by Mohammad Yaghoubi, The Language of Wild Berries by Naghmeh Samini, and Leili & Majnun by Torange Yeghiazarian, adapted from the poetry of Nizami Ganjavi. This workshop is conducted in English; reading knowledge of Persian is not required. Co-sponsored and hosted by the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies
Registration required.
Register for the Translation Workshop
Nov. 7 at 5 PM: Pre-Show Conversation with Torange Yeghiazarian
Berlind Rehearsal Room, McCarter Theatre Center (off the Berlind lower lobby)
Free & open to public
A conversation with Torange Yeghiazarian, founder of Golden Thread Productions, the first American theater company focused on the Middle East. Yeghiazarian will share her story of founding and leading the company, establishing it as a vital platform for Middle Eastern voices on the U.S. stage. As the translator of A Moment of Silence, she will discuss the play’s impact and significance within the American theater landscape. Together, we will consider theater as embodied translation and explore how international performance deepens our understanding of cultures beyond headlines. The conversation will be moderated by Q-Mars Haeri, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies and presented in collaboration with the Center.
Nov. 8: Post-Matinee Community Gathering
Berlind Upper Lobby, McCarter Theatre Center
Free & open to public
Audience members are invited to join a post-show social gathering for Iranian and Iranian-American communities, and anyone who would like to find connections or hear stories from those communities, following the 2 p.m. performance.
Oct. 31-Nov. 8: Lobby Display
Upper lobby, Berlind Theatre
Free & open to public
In addition, throughout the run of the production a social space and video display will be installed in the Berlind Theatre. The exhibit includes a timeline of Iranian events relevant to the play with historical photographs and a display of changes in clothing over time. The atmosphere will be enhanced with a Persian carpet, samovar-brewed tea with sugar cubes, and an audio backdrop of curated Iranian music and soundscapes. The installation was created in collaboration with the English Department’s “Global Plays and Politics” course, taught by Associate Professor of English Tamsen Wolff, and the project’s scholars and artists. This space will be used for various community events and conversations happening around the production and be open before and after show times to the community.
Classroom Interactions
The artists and scholars of the project will also interact with Princeton students and local high school students. Director Nikoo Mamdoohi, set designer Omid Akbari and costume designer Afsaneh Aayani will share a design presentation for multiple Princeton classes and visit the “Theatrical Design Studio” course; dramaturg Q-Mars Haeri will be a guest in the “Global Plays and Politics” course, as will Akbari and Aayani, and Mamdoohi; and translator Torange Yeghiazarian will visit with the cast and production team of the production through the course, “Theater Rehearsal and Performance.” In addition Aayani and Akbari will visit students at Trenton Central High School and will present a theatrical design workshop for Trenton middle and high school students who are part of the Trenton Youth Theater program of Trenton Arts at Princeton. Mamdoohi and Haeri will present a performance and dramaturgy workshop for high school students in collaboration Trenton Central High School, Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), and the Lydia’s Scholars Program. Local high school students will also attend a post-matinee conversation.
Tickets & Details
All performances are open to the public; purchased tickets are required:
- $20 general admission
- $10 students (any students)
- Princeton students can receive a free ticket to this event through the Passport to the Arts program using their Tiger Tickets
- No additional fees
Buy tickets through McCarter Box Office
Digital Show Program
View the show playbill and an overview timeline related to the show
Directions
Get directions to Berlind Theatre and find other venue information for McCarter Theatre Center.
Accessibility
Berlind Theatre is an accessible venue with wheelchair and companion seating available. The November 7 performance will be open/live captioned (CART). An assistive listening system is available and headphones can be requested from ushers. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations, including Berlind Theatre. Attendees in need of other access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
