Interview with Mahdokht Molaei and Nima Naderi, Iranian famous actors parts of “The Black Sheep” play in Gyumri Festival
Can you tell us about yourselves?
Mahdokht : I am Mahdokht Molaei, an Iranian actor, writer and producer. Most of the field in which I worked was acting and I have been working in Iranian theater and cinema for many years.
Nima: I am a graduate of dramatic literature, and since I was seven years old, when I realized that words, sentences, and meaning can be made by putting letters together, I became fond of cinema and theater. I have also experienced acting in cinema, television, and theater. On the other hand, due to the dire situation of the performing arts in Iran, I decided that I could tell stories individually, and it happened that I have been doing stop motion animation in my small room for two years. I hope that in a short time, I will visualize the biggest stories of my mind on my small table
How do you think theater festivals affect cultures?
Mahdokht։ Basically, I think that art is very much mixed with culture and the art of each country is born from the culture of that country. International festivals are basically a place to get acquainted with the art and culture of each country, and I personally think that in festivals, you can see the art of different countries. It got acquainted with their culture and talked with the people of that country.
Nima: I never thought that the monster of war and dictatorship and the monster of poverty and disease would become stronger and bigger in these years. We, humans, were supposed to build a world full of peace and friendship and defeat these two monsters, but as time goes by, this dream is fading. But there are solutions to defeat these monsters.
This black box, which we named the theater stage, can be one of the most important places to defeat these monsters. Every theater artist who goes on stage in a black box has a lighted candle in his hand, with the mission of lighting the way ahead for the audience of his show. It is the characteristic of theater festivals to gather lighted candles from all over the world to provide a great torch for people.
Now that the black sheep is not in armenian, how do you think the audience will be pleased with it?
Mahdokht: It is very attractive. First, I want to say that the playwriting was very interesting for me.And this form of performance and this type of connection with the characters of the show attracted me. And secondly, as far as I know, Armenia is a country that cares a lot about theater and has a very good audience. That this performance in this country and by the audience It is very pleasant for me to see professional theater.
Nima: Those who saw Arad entezar’s show are familiar with the story of the black sheep. Arad came out of Iranian society. A society that has many black sheep. Children who entered the world with great dreams but were suppressed by society and violent fathers. But one day, these black sheep will regain their power and take back their right
Are you planning on further international appearances?
Mahdokht: I am currently writing the script of my new film and I hope to be able to shoot it soon. In addition, about theater, I also had a performance called “Silent” last year, which we are preparing for its international festival tours.
