As a playwright
Reza Shirmarz, 2014, Athens, Greece
Reza Shirmarz began his journey in playwriting with realistic works like Cinnamon Stars, Crystal Vines, and The Lanterns Are Weeping, using these plays to express his sociopolitical perspectives on the prevailing social issues. However, while these plays are rooted in realism, they also offer directors the flexibility to stage them in non-realistic ways. Over nearly a decade, Shirmarz developed this trilogy and crafted characters who undergo significant evolution across each installment. Each play reflects a distinct period in post-revolutionary Iran. His last play, The Lanterns Are Weeping displays a pronounced shift towards antirealism. In this play, antirealism becomes especially vivid when a writer’s blood mysteriously turns green. This symbolic shift, heavily scrutinized by the media, throws the writer and those around him into turmoil, especially as the country grapples with the sociopolitical upheaval of the "Green Movement." While this transformation might initially seem impossible to readers or viewers, it is woven into the play with a sense of realism that grounds even this surreal moment in social and political commentary. Shirmarz’s embrace of antirealism grows more pronounced in his later works and becomes a defining aspect of his style in plays such as Deep Blue Sea and The Corners of Death. These works mark a milestone in his evolving playwriting approach, where realism intertwines increasingly with imaginative elements.
For me, playwriting is as natural as breathing. There are times when I try to walk away from it, to set it aside and focus on other things. But somehow, it always finds its way back to me—an idea emerges, a character starts speaking, and before I know it, a new play is taking shape. It’s like playwriting is woven into my very nature, something I can’t separate from myself. Over the last twenty years, I've come to cherish this part of me, this impulse to create. No matter how hard I try to resist, the plays keep coming, as if they’re meant to be born.
Full-Length & One-Act Plays
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Cinnamon Stars
A short summary:
In a startling discovery, a respected scientist learns that imported milk from Chernobyl is tainted with dangerous levels of radiation which posed a grave risk to anyone in Iran consuming milk or dairy products. Horrified by the potential impact on children and adults alike, he decides to go public, aided by one of his PhD students. Together, they publish an article exposing the truth, but the revelation triggers a cascade of consequences far beyond what he anticipated. The authorities, who hold a dark vested interest in the milk trade, react swiftly and ruthlessly. They brand him a troublemaker, and as punishment for his outspokenness, he loses everything—his position as a university instructor, his professional reputation, and, bit by bit, the life he once knew. His family, meanwhile, is divided over his unyielding honesty; they support him but know it has put all of them in peril. The government’s pressure only intensifies: agents seize his home, cut off his pension, and strip away any remaining financial security. In the second half of this harrowing story, the strain proves too much. The scientist suffers a severe nervous breakdown, which leaves him completely blind. Now, facing a future cloaked in darkness, he and his family must gather what little they have left to start over in search of a safe place to rebuild. About the play: Cinnamon Stars, the first play in the trilogy, won top honors in the playwriting competition at the 26th Fajr International Theater Festival in 2007. That same year, it was published nationwide by Iran’s Performing Arts Center marking its debut on a grand scale. Crystal Vines
A short summary:
A sick old farmer lives with his wife, a former feminist activist, in a vineyard dying of drought. He struggles to keep his vines alive as well as to survive on in spite of their worsening financial situation. His wife has endeavored for a long time to stay away from her agonizing past experiences in the political milieu, but an old lovesick colleague who has come to live in her neighborhood since the outset of her self-exile, keeps reminding her of the old days every time he gets a chance, despite her nonstop crusades against his vain endeavors to revive their ancient romantic affairs. The lovelorn neighbor sues the farmer for the illegal overuse of water and his losses. He wants to get rid of him in order to have his beloved woman, but before the court session the farmer dies along with his vineyard and his wife leaves overnight the village leaving her passionate lover all alone with the wasteland has claimed the ownership based on the court’s decision… Here is a part of her monologue (from Isaiah 5, The Song of the Vineyard) standing all broken over the dead body of her husband: “I will sing for the one I loved, a song about his vineyard. My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stores and planted it with choices vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yields only bad fruit. Now you, dwellers in Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? Why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” About the play: Crystal Vines is the second installment of a trilogy that received accolades as the best play in the 27th Fajr International Theater Festival's playwriting competition in 2008. That same year, it was published nationally by the publishing house of Iran’s Performing Arts Center as part of the festival’s proceedings. The Lanterns Are Weeping
A short summary:
In the tumultuous summer of 2009, an Iranian family found themselves navigating the treacherous waters of the reformist Green Movement, a time when hope clashed violently with despair. The writer and his wife, a couple deeply rooted in their love for one another and their shared dreams, lived a precarious existence in a society where thousands were arrested, beaten, or even killed for speaking out. Their home was a small refuge, but it was also a battleground for conflicting ideals. The younger sister of the writer’s wife, brimming with youthful passion and fervor, lived with them, her heart set on joining the protests that echoed throughout the streets of Tehran. Her determination, however, threatened to unravel their fragile stability, placing the family in grave danger. As the demonstrations intensified, the atmosphere grew heavy with tension. The writer, once a voice for change through his words, was caught in the crosshairs of the regime’s crackdown. One fateful afternoon, while the sun blazed overhead, he disappeared, taken by government agents who moved like shadows, leaving no trace behind but the echo of his absence. Days stretched into nights filled with fear and uncertainty as his wife and sister waited, their hearts heavy with dread, unable to shake the feeling that their lives were slipping through their fingers. When he finally returned, the joy of reunion was short-lived. A chilling news report shattered their fragile hope: the body of the sister had been found among the protesters, lifeless and cold, shot down by an anonymous soldier. In that moment, the family was irrevocably altered, grief carving deep lines into their hearts. As the weight of loss settled over them like a heavy shroud, the writer turned to his wife, his voice a whisper of despair. “We’re exiled to nowhere but ourselves,” he lamented, his eyes reflecting the turmoil within. “They have built walls around us, walls we never saw or knew… They didn’t burn our houses or our books; instead, they crept closer, step by step, from every direction, and locked us up in our own selves.” He paused, his words heavy with the weight of their shared reality. “Every one of us has become an island, buffeted by vicious waves… an island drowning little by little. They exiled us to ourselves… they exiled us to ourselves…” His words hung in the air, a haunting reminder of the isolation that engulfed them, a testament to the silent suffering endured by many in a land where freedom was a distant dream. As they stood together in their grief, they faced an uncertain future, bound by love yet shackled by the oppressive forces of a society that sought to silence them About the play: The Lanterns are Weeping, the third installment of the trilogy, was penned years after the playwright's migration to Greece. As of now, it remains unpublished and has yet to be performed. Deep Blue Sea
short summary:
On a serene summer day, the sun cast a golden glow over a sandy, quiet beach, where the rhythmic sound of the waves gently lapped against the shore. Among the beachgoers was a swimming coach, a man whose days were spent guiding others to glide effortlessly through the water. His life was predictable and unremarkable—until he met her. She was a poetess, her words painting vivid images in the minds of those who listened, yet her own vision was shrouded in darkness. Despite her blindness, she moved with grace and confidence, and the coach found himself irresistibly drawn to her. As they spent time together by the water’s edge, he fell head over heels in love, captivated by her spirit and the beauty of her thoughts. But before he could confess his feelings, tragedy struck. While swimming alone in the ocean, the poetess drowned, her vibrant life extinguished far too soon. The coach, heartbroken and devastated, was the one who discovered her lifeless body washed ashore. He rushed to inform her family, his heart heavy with sorrow as he relayed the news that would shatter their world. In the days that followed, grief enveloped him like a dark cloud. He found himself haunted by memories of their brief moments together and the love that had bloomed so quickly, only to be cut short. Yet amidst his sorrow, a peculiar solace began to emerge. In the depths of his imagination, he envisioned her swimming, and in that space, he took on the role of her guide once more. Each time he closed his eyes, he imagined teaching her how to swim, coaching her through the water as if she were still alive, preventing her from drowning in his mind. In these dreams, they conversed and laughed, sharing secrets and building a connection that transcended the boundaries of life and death. Their emotional bond deepened, and he felt a flicker of hope that love could endure even in the darkest of circumstances. However, fate proved unyielding. One fateful day, while swimming alone, the poetess drowned again, this time in the depths of his memory and dreams. The coach's heart broke anew, the weight of loss heavier than before. In that moment, he understood that love, no matter how powerful, could not shield them from the currents of life. As he stood on the beach, staring out at the vast ocean, he realized that she would forever be a part of him—both a memory and a muse, lost to the waves but never forgotten. About the play: Deep Blue Sea is a one-act play that was penned and published in 2010 in a literary magazine called Payab in Tehran. Since its release, the play has been performed several times in various cities and theater festivals across Iran. In a beautiful fusion of literature and music, the renowned Iranian classical guitarist and composer Jamal Zohurian created a song inspired by Deep Blue Sea, which was included in a collection titled Peace released in 2018. Acharnon Street Vulture
A short summary:
This full-length play focuses on the relationship of an Afghan refugee with a Greek family. He is in a relationship with a Greek girl, concurrently has to grapple with the issues of being an undocumented immigrant. What’s more is that the Greek family still suffers from wounds of military dictatorship (known as Greek junta) in Greece. At the end of the play, a profound feeling of sympathy and empathy brings the young couple together after they broke up… About the play: Acharnon Street Vulture is a full-length play written in 2014 in Greece. This play has been performed a couple of times in different cities and theater festivals in Iran. It was going to be performed in Fajr International Theater Festival in 2015, but the festival did not take place due to financial crisis. Here is a part of a long review in 2012 by an Iranian critic: “Acharnon Street Vulture is a play which, beyond its dramatic layers, has got a floating external layer and at the same time, constructs its stories easily for its audience. The brilliance of the play comes from the dexterous selection of a number of simple dramatic situations in order to reveal the past and future of the characters. The audience grasps multiple interconnected stories from two different worlds, Iraq and Greece.” Playwright's note at the beginning of the play: Over the past two years, a phenomenon I call "Structure" has shaped my new play, Acharnon Street Vulture. This structure has emerged from the diverse identities of people I’ve encountered from various countries, experiences that I felt compelled to document on paper. The haunting presence of Hellenic drama and mythology has continuously influenced my thoughts, intertwining with contemporary playwriting and shaping my perspective in this work. Reflecting on my past, I’ve weathered many cruel waves, and my present existence resembles a tree rooted in that past, with branches, leaves, and perhaps even fruit emerging from it. Writing Acharnon Street Vulture felt like a rebirth, a new death that didn’t culminate in a performance but rather in a profound exploration of life itself. This play was crafted for a couple of individuals I encountered in the rain-soaked alleys of Athens, where the cool air contrasted sharply with their tragic search for renewal through death. They cast their desperate looks at me, a newcomer to this beautiful city that has absorbed millions of immigrants, granting them an identity that blurs the lines between life and death. This play became a gateway for me, allowing me to delve deeper into the complexities of Greek life and its intricate social fabric, shaped by its geography and a history marked by barriers and the challenges of contemporary multinational existence. I found myself standing at a new crossroads of history, this time in the southern reaches of Europe, navigating a landscape rich with stories yet to be told. (Reza Shirmarz, 2012, summer, Athens) Immigrants
A short summary:
Running for approximately 80 minutes, Immigrants tells the story of a documented African man—a former child soldier—and an undocumented Iranian man—a former black comedian—struggling to survive in the harsh realities of modern Greece. Their refuge is a carpenter's warehouse, where they sleep in two old caskets, the centerpiece of the set design. The African man, a recent arrival, has been beaten by anti-immigrant fascists in the ghetto of Athens due to his petty thefts, but he is saved by the Iranian and his girlfriend, a Greek cabaret singer. Immigrants is a dark comedy that explores the myriad challenges faced by immigrants and refugees in their quest for a better life. It paints a vivid picture of countless expatriates who risk everything, often leading to irreversible consequences. Here are some of the final dialogues: “I picked these clocks up just to feast my eyes on... came across them one by one at different places… at the corners of streets… in dustbins… and I bought some of them from thrift shops… kinda like ‘em a lot… they don’t run at all, they don’t show you anything, they’re like dead still bodies… like us.” About the play: Immigrants is a one-act play that was written in Greece in 2014. It was translated into Greek a few years ago. The Corners of Death
short summary:
On an abandoned island, a dead body stirs to life for a fleeting moment, awakening to a haze of dreamlike memories. Alone in this desolate place, the only company is a dried, broken tree that stretches upward like a desperate plea against the sky. Amidst the silence, a horsefly buzzes around, its presence felt but never seen. The dead man finds himself speaking to the elusive creature longing for connection in the stillness. His search for sustenance leads him to a stiff piece of bread lying next to some human bones, half-buried beneath the gnarled roots of the tree. In a nearby piggyback, he discovers an assortment of random belongings, remnants of a life once lived. As the memories unfold—each one a thread woven into the fabric of his past—he begins to piece together the reality of his situation. With each recollection, the truth sinks in, step by agonizing step: he is dead, and the bones he unearthed belong to him. As the island holds its breath, he confronts the fragments of his life, trapped in a surreal limbo where the boundaries between memory and reality blur. This forces him to confront the very essence of his existence... About the play: The Corners of Death is a captivating 60-minute monologue composed of four interrelated episodes: The Corners of Death, Lady in Red, Colonel, and Dark of the Moon. Each episode features characters that are intricately connected to those in the others, with every new segment building upon the previous one. This thought-provoking monologue was crafted in Greece in 2013. Muzzled
Shirmarz's dramatic response to Beckett's Catastrophe, written in support of Václav Havel, who was imprisoned for his outspoken plays, is being published for the first time in Index on Censorship. Click to read the interview and the play:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03064220211068702 |
Other Plays
My Hands
Orestes
Meeting
Yellow Snow Falls
Plays in development
The Songless Birds
Tsunami
Limbo
Pericles
The Lost Pipe
My Hands
Orestes
Meeting
Yellow Snow Falls
Plays in development
The Songless Birds
Tsunami
Limbo
Pericles
The Lost Pipe
More than three decades after Index published the celebrated playwright’s work dedicated to the Czech dissident Vaclav Havel, censored Iranian writer Reza Shirmarz has responded with his own play, Muzzled.
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