To Love or Not to Love brings ancient Persian epic to modern Vancouver rehearsal studio
Majid Tafreshi's play interweaves a 12th-century love triangle with contemporary actors' unresolved desires, running Aug. 27–30 at the Annex.
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Majid Tafreshi's play To Love or Not to Love transplants a 12th-century Persian love story into a contemporary Vancouver rehearsal studio, where the boundaries between myth and reality blur as a cast of actors prepares to stage an ancient epic while their own desires and conflicts surface.
The production draws from Khosrow and Shirin, a romantic epic by medieval Persian poet Nezami Ganjavi, which tells of a love triangle between Khosrow II, monarch of the Sasanian Empire; the Armenian princess Shirin; and a sculptor named Farhad. Rather than setting the play in pre-Islamic Iran, Tafreshi grounds it in the present day, where actors Nikta Ghazi, Steve Amazzal, Navid Charkhi, and Sara Poursorkh join Tafreshi himself to explore what happens when myth and performance collide.
Tafreshi wrote of the work: "I was drawn back to the ancient story of Khosrow and Shirin while searching for a way to speak about the world we live in today. Surrounded by conflict, displacement, and uncertainty, I found myself asking whether love is still enough to hold us together—or whether it has become another role we struggle to perform."
The production is described as a "half-musical," featuring original music by Parisa Torabi, also known as Madmazel. The Annex is located next to the Orpheum on Seymour Street.
To Love or Not to Love runs Aug. 27 to 30 at the Annex.
The details
When and where is To Love or Not to Love running?
To Love or Not to Love runs August 27–30 at the Annex, located next to the Orpheum on Seymour Street in Vancouver.
Who stars in To Love or Not to Love?
The cast includes Nikta Ghazi, Steve Amazzal, Navid Charkhi, Sara Poursorkh, and playwright Majid Tafreshi.
What is the play based on?
To Love or Not to Love draws from 'Khosrow and Shirin,' a 12th-century Persian romantic epic by medieval poet Nezami Ganjavi, which tells of a love triangle between a monarch, a princess, and a sculptor.
